Krasnodar

Despite losing their foreign stars last season, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Krasnodar performed incredibly and managed to secure a top four finish. Young Nigerian players Olakunle Olusegun and Jonathan Okoronkwo have completed moves to Krasnodar, following their initial loans last season, and could feature heavily this season. Ilzat Akhmetov has also joined from CSKA Moscow and the 24-year-old will be hoping for more game time at Krasnodar and lock down a regular spot. Loan returns from Grzegorz Krychowiak, Junior Alonso and Wanderson could be important but they may not stay in Russia with the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Krasnodar have lost regular midfielder Yuriy Gazinskiy and he could be a big miss to the side. However, the starting line-up from the end of last season is unlikely to be too dissimilar as we begin the new campaign. The experienced Aleksandr Martynovich also departs the club. Vladimir Iljin will return to Akhmat Grozny next season after a disappointing year with Krasnodar last time out as he scored just four league goals. Jhon Cordoba featured in a friendly match this summer so he could return to the side to add some much needed firepower. It is still up in the air whether the foreign players will play in Russia this season as their decisions could impact their selections for the national side, especially with the 2022 World Cup in mind this winter. Nonetheless, Krasnodar should continue to perform well this season.