Sergei Semak’s side were held to a goalless draw with second placed Rostov in their last match day, and so remain nine points clear of their opponents. 

Dynamo Moscow reside in 6th place, with 39 points and are coached by Ex-Chelsea player, Slaviša Jokanović. The former Fulham boss took the job in the summer, replacing Sandro Schwarz. Goals have still been coming for Dynamo this season, despite their change in manager, with Konstantin Tyukavin and Fedor Smolov netting eight goals each so far this campaign. However, Tyukavin’s 19-year-old team mate Arsen Zakharyan has not been as fruitful this season as last, scoring just three goals, compared to his seven last season. Part of the reason for this slump in form is the fact the play maker is in high demand, and linked with major clubs around Europe during the season. 

In their last league clash, Dynamo saw off Nizhny Novgorod with a late comeback as Yaroslav Gladyshev cancelled out Denis Glushakov’s 67th minute penalty. Daniil Fomin scored the second before Smolov sealed the win with a penalty in the 96th minute of added time. The weekend before, Saturday’s opponents faced rivals Spartak Moscow in a thrilling 3-3 draw, with Spartak snatching a point in the 88th minute following a penalty from Aleksandr Sobolev. 

Jokanovic sets his side out in a 4-3-3 formation, with Tyukavin the pinnacle of the attack, with the evergreen Fedor Smolov an option on the bench. Daniil Fomin holds the midfield, allowing Zakharyan and Luka Gagnidze space to attack, and provide options to left and right wingers, Moumi Ngamaleu and Denis Makarov respectively, with the former bagging the 3rd in the 3-3 draw with Spartak. 

The two sides know each other well this season, as Dynamo beat the Blue-White-Sky Blues on penalties in the Russian Cup earlier this month following a 1-1 draw in normal time. In this season’s reverse fixture, Zenit brushed past their opponents 2-0 at the VTB arena. Andrey Mostovoy opened the scoring before Gustavo Mantuan ended the nerves of Zenit fans in the stadium with a goal late into added time to double the lead. When Dynamo last came to the Gazprom Arena for a league visit, Zenit were in complete control of the game in a famous 4-1 win, which had followed the 7-1 win over Spartak the previous match day. 

Before the game, Semak highlighted on how the recent Cup game would have an impact on how Zenit prepare for the upcoming match saying: “It’s not been long since our Cup match, and neither side has changed much dramatically.”

“We know how Dynamo play and they know how we play. Compared to the cup match, we will have more first team players available for us. Dynamo are a very good team, they’re well organised and play well in defence. We are expecting another difficult, tough match and getting ready to play our best.”

Zenit v Dynamo Moscow takes place at 7pm on Saturday 22 Aprl at the Gazprom Arena.