Russian Premier League 2018-19 Preview & Betting Tips: CSKA Moscow set to reclaim crown

The 2018-19 Russian Premier League season begins in July with Lokomotiv Moscow looking to defend their title. The champions will have to fight off city rivals CSKA and Spartak, while Zenit Saint Petersburg and FK Krasnodar will be looking to have their sayon where the title goes.

Lokomotiv will enter the new season hoping for a repeat of last season’s campaign which saw them emerge champions of the Russian league. Despite ending the season with just one win in their last five top-flight matches, they still managed to finish 2 points clear of their closest challengers.

The Red-Greens have a strong squad and will be considered one of the contenders for the title this season. They will challenge all the way, but last season’s run-in shows they can be vulnerable and may be usurped by another Moscow side.

CSKA have been champions three times in the last five years, although they have failed to win the title in their last two campaigns. They have finished as runners-up on both occasions and will be hoping to go one better this time.

Having ended the previous campaign with four wins and a draw in their final five matches, they will be hoping to carry that momentum into the new season. They will need to keep hold of key players like Aleksander Golovin who has attracted interest from top European clubs, but they already look strong enough to go all the way.

Spartak were dethroned as champions last season, having won the title in 2017. They ran the top-two close for much of the season, before eventually falling away following a run of three defeats in their final five top-flight matches.

They finished third on the table, four points off champions Lokomotiv, and will go into the new season hoping to reclaim their title. They have a strong squad with the likes of Luiz Adriano, Quincy Promes and Mario Pasalic and will be one of the teams to keep an eye on.

Zenit are coming off a disappointing campaign which saw them finish well off the pace in the league. They finished fifth on the table, 17 points behind the champions which was only good enough for a Europa League spot.

The Lions were champions in 2015 but have not finished in the top two in the years since. They have a sprinkle of quality in the squad with the likes of Andreas Granqvist, Viktor Claesson and Fyodor Smolov, but they do not appear strong enough to challenge the frontrunners. 

Krasnodar were fourth in the league last season as they finished six points behind Lokomotiv on the table. Their only title challenge in recent years was in 2015, where the finished third behind Zenit and CSKA.

The Bulls will have to navigate their way through a rigorous Europa League campaign next season and that could affect their domestic form. They are slightly behind the frontrunners in terms of quality and may have to settle for a mid-table finish.

CSKA Moscow look primed for another title win, but they will be pushed all the way by Lokomotiv and Spartak. The likes of Zenit and Krasnodar may have to settle for the Europa League places.

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