Zenit St Petersburg look to seal title at the weekend

Moscow: League leaders Zenit St Petersburg can clinch their fourth Russian title on Sunday when they play minnows FC Ufa at their Petrovsky ground.

Zenit are eight points ahead of second-placed FK Krasnodar with just three matches remaining. 

That means that Andre Villas-Boas` side need just one point to win the Premiership title for the first time since 2012 as they have three more wins than Krasnodar and lead the two clubs` head-to-head record this season.

On Sunday, Zenit will be without Venezuelan sharpshooter Jose Salomon Rondon, who received his fourth yellow card in the previous league match against Rostov.

"It`s a pity that Rondon will have to miss the game against Ufa," former Porto, Chelsea and Tottenham manager Villas-Boas said.

"He`s the league`s second top scorer and we were counting on him.

"We all want to secure the championship as soon as possible, and we`re looking to show our best to do that on Sunday."

Zenit will enjoy home support despite nominally being the away side as Ufa agreed to switch the game to Saint Petersburg after playing their matches this year in Perm due to the poor condition of their own stadium. 

"There is no doubt the match will be sold out and our club will receive all the gate receipts," Ufa general manager Shamil Gazizov said.Elsewhere, second-placed FK Krasnodar, who are unbeaten in their last 16 Premiership matches, remain on course to finish in the top two and secure a place in the Champions League third qualifying round next season.

Krasnodar are two points better off than CSKA Moscow in third and face bottom-placed Torpedo Moscow, who are struggling to avoid relegation. 

"I hope that our home support will help us to show our best against Torpedo," said Krasnodar head coach Oleg Kononov, who was named coach of the month for April.

"But I expect a tough clash on Sunday as, at the end of the season, every point is precious."

Title holders CSKA will look to make ground on Krasnodar but face a tough test against city rivals Spartak in Moscow`s most storied derby.

Matches between CSKA and Spartak, dating back to 1922, are a perennial headache for Moscow police as the clubs` supporters are famous for their mutual hatred and mass brawls between fans are a regular occurence.

CSKA coach Leonid Slutsky expressed hope that the return of Swedish midfielder Pontus Wernbloom, who was suspended for the last match against Lokomotiv, will bolster his team.

"In the previous match we made too many mistakes," Slutsky said.

"Luckily we showed strong character and won. I hope that Wernbloom`s return will improve our defensive performance."

Spartak manager Murat Yakin meanwhile said he was hoping that his players will step up their game after a demoralising away loss against 10-man Terek Grozny.

"The defeat brought our chances to earn a place in European football next season into question," Yakin said. 

"But the derby with CSKA is a very special match regardless of the teams` positions in the table and we aim to win the clash."
Fixtures (all times GMT)

Friday

Mordovia Saransk v Rostov (1600)
Saturday

Amkar Perm v Kuban Krasnodar (1100), Arsenal Tula v Terek Grozny (1330), Lokomotiv Moscow v Rubin Kazan (1600)
Sunday

Spartak Moscow v CSKA Moscow (1030), Ufa v Zenit St Petersburg (1300), FK Krasnodar v Torpedo Moscow (1530)
Monday

Ural Yekaterinburg v Dynamo Moscow (1400)