Russian League
2010-10-27 - Dynamo Moscow vs CSKA Moscow
A Sports Betting Pick by Pantocrator
Football: Russian Premier League
Wednesday, 27th October 2010. Kickoff 16:15 CET
Dynamo Moscow
Moscow derbies are always a special occasion no matter if there is no tournament motivation left. It is a genuine chance to make up to the fans and give them a shot-term reason to cheer about. Dynamo is coming off an ugly 0-0 draw vs. relegation candidates Alanya. Important central midfielder Igor Semshov is returning after suspension. Kisenkov is still injured for hosts; center back Kolodin and left winger Cesnauskis are considered doubtful.
Return of attacking midfielder Semshov is a serious boost for Dynamo before the big game vs. CSKA. The timing couldn’t be better with Cesnauskis’ possible absence on the left wing. Alexander Kokorin was a forced replacement for the Lithuanian midfielder at the week-end, but completely dissolved upon entering the pitch. Kolodin was anticipated to recover from another long-term injury in time for the match vs. Alanya. It turned out that he still needs around a week of individual training.
Dynamo has been unable to beat CSKA for the last 2 years. On the other hand their current manager Miodrag Bojovic has a good personal record against the Army-men.
CSKA Moscow
CSKA's main concern at the moment is squad’s physical condition. Fatigue was the key reason behind 0-0 draw vs. Rubin on Sunday as players had felt the strain of intense schedule. Speaking at today press conference Slutsky assured everyone that the situation has improved, but I really doubt it could in such a short time period. Fortunately CSKA has not injured or suspended players.
Alan Dzagoev was rested at the week-end against Rubin and absolutely must feature tomorrow. The Russian prodigy has been starting at the bench in CSKA’s last two competitive fixtures including the 0-3 victory vs. Palermo on Thursday. Main reason behind this decision has been Slutsky’s extreme caution.
Both Palermo and Rubin posed big offensive threat and CSKA’s manager preferred to play with 2 defensive midfielders Semberas and Mamaev. On one hand his move is justified by kept clean sheets, on other hand CSKA failed to score against Rubin. I am expecting Slutsky to show some reflexes and be a bit less conservative tomorrow. Manager’s rotation policy will traditionally involve the midfield line.
Betting advice
Important factor to consider here is that the match will be played at Arena Khimki, which is the home venue for both CSKA and Dynamo this season. So Army men can only be referred to as "visitors" on paper, whereas in fact they will surely have a domestic approach in this game.
This said odds on CSKA represent decent value and should be taken with medium stakes.
