CSKA – Dynamo M

Dynamo have as good a chance of winning the derby as CSKA

CSKA will take on Dinamo at home on Sunday, 24 April. The teams are not rivals in the Russian championship. The Army Men are third in the standings, with just one point over Sochi. Bronze is currently in jeopardy. Dynamo are still dreaming of gold medals. "The Whites are three points behind Zenit. The big problem is that with equal points, the advantage will be with the St Petersburg club. CSKA put the brakes on sharply after an impressive start to 2022. The Army Men suffered setbacks in three games. First, they lost to Khimki, conceding four goals, then they missed out on a win against Ufa and dropped out of the Russian Cup, losing to Spartak. April is coming off a failure after an outstanding March, in which Berezutsky was voted the best coach in the RPL. The Army Men's legionnaires are gradually declining in terms of their level of play. It is not ruled out that the players will leave the club in the summer, given that there are no European Cups. Dinamo, on the other hand, have a united team. It was united even more by the victory in the Russian Cup. Sandro Schwartz's charges, despite the rotation, broke Baltica in a penalty shoot-out. In the RPL, the Muscovites win mostly on class. What stands out is the change in style. Whereas in 2021 Dinamo's matches were very productive, now the team is winning games on total less. The Bilo-Syni's streak of 'draws' has reached five. At the same time, the forwards are in good form. Smolov and Tyukavin have a high percentage of goalscoring chances. In the run-up to the derby, bookmakers put Dynamo as the underdog at odds above 3.00. Such an alignment is not very clear. The visitors are clearly more motivated and the quality of their game is high. From a coaching point of view, Dynamo have a huge advantage. Schwartz can adjust with a special plan for a particular opponent, which cannot be said about Berezutsky. The Army Men still rely more on the individual skills of their internationals than they do on their collective play. In the first round, Dinamo were stronger than the Army Men, 2-1. In last season's final game, the Bilo-Syni scored three goals for Akinfeev and also won. Through nine games in this derby, CSKA have only once managed to take three points. Dinamo do not look like outsiders in any of the key parameters. A relatively cautious matchup is likely. The visitors will try to neutralize the main threat of the CSKA internationals. Schwartz's charges won't go out wide and press high from the opening minutes. CSKA is in a mini-crisis. We do not expect any great tactical decisions from Berezutsky, and offensive leader Yazıcı plays against a background of muscle fatigue.