The first matches of the 2024/2025 season of the Russian Championship are scheduled for July 20. Will anyone be able to give Zenit any real competition? How will the newcomers to the RPL perform? We will try to answer these and other questions.
Will St. Petersburg residents set a record?
The 2024/2025 season has not yet started, but bookmakers are already offering bets on the winner. They consider Zenit to be the main contender for the Championship. You can bet that the St. Petersburg team will once again win gold medals in the RPL with odds of 1.55.
After winning the treble last season, Sergei Semak’s team repeated Spartak’s record. They became champions for the sixth time in a row. The team was significantly strengthened in the summer, but there is a high probability of several major losses. Andrei Arshavin believes that the club already has replacements for Claudinho and Wendel.
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Well, maybe the club has an equivalent replacement for Malcolm then? Why then did the team struggle so much last season and barely managed to win in the RPL? Yes, because in fact these Brazilians are the permanent leaders of Zenit. The problem is that they have already won everything they can and are hungry for new challenges.
Krasnodar, Dynamo and Lokomotiv are not ready to fight for the championship
In addition to Zenit, three other clubs from the Top 6 of the Championship did not change their coaches: Krasnodar, Dynamo and Lokomotiv. Their bosses decided to adjust the squad to the coaches, and not the other way around. Bookmakers estimate the victories of the black-green and white-blue in the 2024/2025 RPL season at the same odds – 12.0, and you can bet on the victory of the red-green at odds of 13.0.
The railway workers have the least chances of success, because in the summer their squad was greatly rejuvenated. After parting with some foreign players, Krasnodar does not seem to be going to win. Murad Musaev’s tactics predispose the team to bright and open play, but at the same time to unstable results. This leaves Dynamo thriving under the leadership of Marcel Lička.
The blue and whites have strengthened their goal line, which failed at the most inopportune moment last season. At least Dynamo has not weakened compared to the previous season.
Stankovic and Nikolic are expected to make a splash
And yet, Zenit’s main competitors for victory in the RPL are Spartak and CSKA, which have undergone a change of mentors. Both clubs have very great potential. The change should cause a shake-up. The red-and-white team can bet on victory in the 2024/2025 season at 10.0, and the success of the military team is estimated at 12.0.
Nikolic and Stankovic have a lot of experience. The former Inter legend should be the best person to inspire the footballers. Working with a person who left a mark on football history is a great boost for the team.
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Spartak have also signed former Real Betis and Real Sociedad player Willian José. The next step is the transfer of Argentine coach Ezequiel Barco.
At the end of last season, Vladimir Sliskovic revealed some of the potential of the red and whites and prepared an excellent ground for Dejan Stankovic for a successful next season. The Serbian has a winning mentality. The “people’s team” has not had such a quality leader for a long time. All that remains is to quickly sort out the squad: rumours about the imminent departure of several players at once will surely increase the nervousness.
Let’s sum it up
In general, it is not difficult to imagine a situation where several clubs will be able to keep up with the pace of Sergei Semak’s charges. The season is long and much will depend on how the teams prepare during breaks and rest periods. However, at the moment, in our opinion, Spartak has the greatest chances of breaking the blue-white-blue hegemony in the 2024/2025 RPL season.
Zenit could be hurt by the possible departure of Wendel and Claudinho. And even if not, there is a feeling that the St. Petersburgers are already tired of winning. CSKA and Dynamo still show good hopes. Lička and Nikolic are highly qualified specialists who achieve good results on a regular basis.
The blue and white team and the army have about the same resources as the “people’s team”. Without persistent struggle and difficulties, the red and white team will definitely not win the championship. And yet, at the end of last season, they seemed the most serene. Stankovic only needs to consolidate the success that Sliskovic began to reap. If Spartak quickly catches the wave and feels brave, then it is capable of much.
Tender: Spartak will win the RPL in the 2024/2025 season with odds of 10.0.
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