With just two rounds remaining in the Russian Premier League (RPL) season, the title race has tightened dramatically. The final matches are scheduled for May 17.
After the 27th and 28th rounds, the top six positions in the standings remained unchanged. Krasnodar leads the table with 63 points, having secured victories over Dynamo Makhachkala (2-1) and Akron Tolyatti (1-0) in their last two outings.
Zenit sits in second place with 62 points. The St. Petersburg side recorded convincing wins over Akhmat (2-0) and CSKA (3-1) in the 27th and 28th rounds.
In the upcoming two rounds, Krasnodar will face Dynamo Moscow and Orenburg. For Zenit, the remaining fixtures appear less challenging, with matches against Sochi and Rostov.
As in the previous two seasons, the pivotal match for the title could be Krasnodar’s clash with Dynamo Moscow. This time, it will take place in the penultimate round in Moscow. If Krasnodar draws and Zenit wins its final match, the St. Petersburg club would leapfrog to the top of the table.
It is also worth noting that Zenit has already been eliminated from the Russian Cup, while Krasnodar has advanced to the super final, where they will face Spartak on May 24.
Lokomotiv Moscow occupies third place with 50 points. In their last two league matches, the capital club lost 0-2 to Krylya Sovetov Samara and drew 1-1 with Dynamo Moscow. Lokomotiv’s final fixtures are against Baltika Kaliningrad and CSKA.
Spartak Moscow is fourth with 48 points, followed by Baltika with 46. CSKA rounds out the top six with 45 points after drawing 0-0 with Rubin Kazan and losing 1-3 to Zenit.
Lower down the table, the standings have shifted. Dynamo Moscow (39 points) has dropped to eighth place. Krylya Sovetov (29 points) climbed to 11th, escaping the relegation playoff zone. Orenburg fell two places to 13th with 26 points.
The two teams currently in the direct relegation zone are Pari NN (22 points) and Sochi (21 points).
