PFC Sochi on course for Champions League qualification

PFC Sochi are enjoying the season of a lifetime since their promotion to Russian top-flight football in 2019. Sochi have witnessed unforeseeable highs in recent seasons with this campaign setting them on course for a historic Champions League qualification.

The club sit third in the table and are right on the heels of the Russian power clubs - Zenit St. Petersburg and Dynamo Moscow. Apart from their position in the division, they have caught everyone's attention with their attacking football, introduced by Vladimir Fedotov.

Fedotov replaced Alexander Tochilin midway through their first season in the top-flight and things have looked up ever since.

Champions League qualification is a foreseeable prospect

Sochi, for sure, are not a one-season wonder.

Since Fedotov's arrival, they have looked as good as any other Moscow-based outfit. In fact, with the decline of Spartak Moscow in recent years, they have quickly established themselves as one of Russia's top-four teams.

Last year, they finished fifth in the table and secured their first-ever European finish in only their third season in the top-flight. While CSKA and Dynamo struggled in the final third of last season, Sochi's rise was quintessentially backed by their shrewd transfer business.

Fedotov managed to rope in some of the top free agents in Russia - Ivelin Popov and Arthur Yusupov. They played a pivotal role in their stunning five-match winning streak which propelled them to a fifth place finish.

This season, they have gone one step ahead and landed Victorian Angban as their marquee signing. This was very much indicative of Sochi's true ambitions to reach greater heights.

As things stand, Dynamo and CSKA remain the Leopards' strongest challengers for that elusive Champions League spot, with Zenit expected to retain the championship. CSKA stand just a point behind them, having won the Moscow derby last weekend.

Sochi's chance to create a gap

The Leopards' have a very interesting fixture list in the coming weeks with as many as three games up against bottom six opponents. This includes ties against newly-promoted Khimki, Ufa and struggling Rostov.

This presents a glorious opportunity for Fedotov's men to create a gap with their closer rivals. To their credit, they have drawn just a single game this season, which has also accounted for their higher points tally. At the same time, both Dynamo and CSKA will embark on tougher missions which may see them concede ground to the Leopards.