Football Season Guide

Krasnodar went ever so close to getting their second successive league title last season, leading the way for 90% of the season but eventually losing a pivotal game away at Dynamo Moscow with a round left and that allowing Zenit to pip them to the finish line. It was definitely a painful one for the Bulls as they were probably the best teams across the season and showed really impressive football for so long. But they were running on fumes by the end as injuries left the squad far too thin and that was the main reason why Murad Musaev's men stumbled at the end. Now they will be hungry and determined to get back to the summit and take on this mighty Zenit side again that has an unlimited budget and can sign players from all over the world. Krasnodar, on the other hand, need to find a replacement for their best player as Eduard Spertsyan's long-mooted move away finally happened this summer, with a deal to Saudi side Al-Ahli completed in early July. It was probably time for the brilliant Armenian to seek a new challenge but it will be all about how the club reinvests the money from his sale and manage to replace his output. They do have someone close to his level already at the club in Nikita Krivtsov, who has the tools to develop even further this season but a new addition with more experience will be certainly needed too. They also parted ways with another starter from last season in Victor Sa, who is back to Brazil, and replaced him with his compatriot Christian, who is younger and was having a very good season with Cruzeiro. Ilya Vakhania is a very good new addition at full-back, joining from Rostov for a modest fee, and has the tools to become a regular as well given the advanced age and injuries of Sergey Petrov. Jhon Cordoba remains as close to a guarantee for 20-plus goals at this level but he does need a backup and this is another area where the Bulls may strengthen. Overall, Krasnodar should definitely be considered among the main title contenders again but a lot will depend on how they move on from Spertsyan and if they manage to stay injury-free.