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The Russian Premier League returns with a fresh set of fixtures as CSKA Moscow host Spartak Moscow at the VEB Arena on Monday.
Both sides are currently tied on 10 points and will be seeking to claim all three points and move into the top half of the league standings.
CSKA Moscow continued to drop points in the league as they were held to a 2-2 draw against Arsenal Tula last Sunday.
This followed a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Lokomotiv Moscow when they faced off in a friendly fixture last Tuesday.
Aleksey Berezutski’s men have now failed to taste victory in their last three outings, picking up one draw and losing two.
This drop-off in form has seen CSKA Moscow drop to ninth place in the Russian Premier League table, one place below Monday’s visitors due to goal difference.
Meanwhile, Spartak Moscow were denied a second win on the trot last time out as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Legia Warszawa in their Europa League Group C curtain-raiser.
Twenty-two-year-old forward Lirim Kastrati came up trumps for the Polish side as he scored the winner in the 91st minute.
Head coach Rui Vitoria will hope his side can move on from their Europa League defeat and pick up their second consecutive victory over the hosts.
CSKA Moscow vs Spartak Moscow Head-To-Head
CSKA Moscow head into the game as the superior side in the history of this fixture, claiming 26 wins from their previous 49 encounters. Their Moscow-based counterparts have picked up 13 wins, while 10 games have ended all square.
CSKA Moscow Form Guide (all competitions): W-W-L-L-D
Spartak Moscow Form Guide (all competitions): W-D-L-W-L
CSKA Moscow vs Spartak Moscow Team News
CSKA Moscow
The hosts remain without the services of Hörður Magnússon and Bruno Fuchs, who have both been ruled out through injuries. Mario Fernandes recently picked up an injury while on international duty for Russia.
Injured: Hörður Magnússon, Bruno Fuchs, Mario Fernandes
Suspended: None
Spartak Moscow
Meanwhile, the visitors will be without Pavel Maslov, Georgi Melkadze and Roman Zobnin, who have all been ruled out through injuries.
Injured: Pavel Maslov, Georgi Melkadze, Roman Zobnin
Suspended: None
CSKA Moscow vs Spartak Moscow Predicted XI
CSKA Moscow Predicted XI (3-4-3): Igor Akinfeev; Igor Diveev, Viktor Vasin, Jaka Bijol; Baktiyar Zaynutdinov, Maksim Mukhin, Alan Dzagoev, Ivan Oblyakov; Konstantin Kuchaev, Anton Zabolotnyi, Chidera Ejuke
Spartak Moscow Predicted XI (3-4-3): Aleksandr Maksimenko; Nikolay Rasskazov, Samuel Gigot, Georgiy Dzhikiya; Victor Moses, Nail Umyarov, Jorrit Hendrix, Ayrton; Jordan Larsson, Ezequiel Ponce, Quincy Promes
CSKA Moscow vs Spartak Moscow Prediction
Both sides have suffered a slump in form over the past few weeks, with the hosts failing to pick up a win in their last three outings in all competitions. Considering they head into the game in a similar form, we predict they will cancel out each other’s efforts and settle for a share of the spoils.
Prediction: CSKA Moscow 1-1 Spartak Moscow
