On Friday, August 8, Makhachkala's Dynamo will play against Akron. This is the first match of the third round of the RPL. Both teams can be satisfied with their start: Dynamo occupies the tenth position, having scored four points. Akron is in sixth place earning one point more. The Tolyatti representative has not lost in the RPL yet.

Akron had an emotional match against Spartak. Zaur Tedeiev's squad spent a lot of energy. The club salvaged a draw only in the very end thanks to a second penalty. At the same time, Spartak could not play with an advantage due to the red card shown to Daniil Khlusevich at the end of the first half.

Prior to this, Akron thrashed Sochi and shared points with Krylya. The peculiar regional derby ended in a draw – Akron was not stronger than the Samarians in gameplay. The victory over Sochi should not be overestimated – the opponent experienced a mini-crisis. The Sochi side gifted several goals with gross errors.

Currently, Akron has young talents in attack: Dmitry Pestryakov and Maxim Boldyrev. Both operate in tandem with Artem Dzyuba. In midfield, there is a core of Balkan legionnaires led by Stefan Lonchar. On paper, Akron's squad is stronger than Makhachkala's Dynamo.

The southerners are currently conducting a very modest transfer campaign. They have almost operated without strengthening the squad but have started the season decently. Dynamo continues to defend excellently – the system of head coach Khasanbi Bidzhiev is working well. Makhachkalans have established a traditional series of games with less total – there have been no high-scoring matches so far. Meanwhile, Dynamo looks decent in attack. Gamid Agalarov has gained very good form. The striker scored a beautiful goal against Akhmat. Overall, he appears to be one of the strongest forwards in the RPL right now.

The main problem for Dynamo is a very sparse squad. The coach has very few options for rotation. He has to use very young players in the Russian Cup. A joy for Dynamo is the absence of injuries among the leaders.

Last season, Dynamo and Akron played two equal matches. In Makhachkala, they drew 1:1; in Samara, the nominal hosts were stronger, winning 1:0. Moreover, the teams remain roughly equal in strength even now.

Bookmakers highlight the hosts. It is reasonable to assume that Akron will not lose. Currently, the club led by Artem Dzyuba is even challenging favourites. It will be difficult for Makhachkalans to play as the first team. A cautious, male-dominated game can be expected. One point is not a problem for both teams. There is a very high likelihood of a goalless draw. It is also possible that Akron will have slightly more ball possession. However, the Makhachkalans are unlikely to be intimidated by Dzyuba – they previously effectively contained Spartak's stars away.