Spartak Moscow - Lokomotiv Moscow

Lokomotiv Moscow and Spartak Moscow meet each other in Round 14 in the Russian Premier League on Saturday. One of the fiercest rivalries in Russian football will see the 3rd placed hosts take on Spartak who are currently in 8th place in the league table but we have to bear in mind that the difference between the two teams is only 4 points. Both sides are in good form at the moment and I expect them to cancel each other in a draw.

Lokomotiv Moscow have been doing very well in the new season and they are only 3 point away from league leaders CSKA Moscow so they will do their best to try and catch up with them. The Railmen won 3:1 against Spartak Nalchik on Tuesday thanks to two late goals from Gatagov and Minchenkov. This will further boost their confidence and the fact that they have won five of the seven home games this seasons (5-1-1) is another plus. Lokomotiv will rely mainly on Sychev and Maicon upfront as the duo have 6 goals between them this season.

Spartak Moscow have struggled since the start of the new season and it is not surprising that they are lying only in 8th place in the league at the moment. The Reds drew against Tom Tomsk earlier in the week (1:1) and they will be looking to improve their current form as they have not won for nearly a month. During this period they recorded a defeat against Zenit away from home and two draws against Rubin and Tom. Head coach Valeriy Karpin does not have any serious injury problems and he will probably rely on Dzyuba and Ari upfront once again.

The draw is a common result in the games between the two sides as there have been 5 stalemates in the last 17 games at Stadion Lokomitv which is nearly 30 percent of the games.