Before entering the winter break, which in Russian football lasts 2.5 months, Moscow-based CSKA and Lokomotiv were among the four contenders for the championship title. In the spring, the teams regressed quite a bit and conceded the race for the main trophy to Zenit and Krasnodar. Given the lack of opportunity for Russian clubs to qualify for European competitions, having lost the practical chance to fight for first place, both clubs performed poorly. However, unlike their upcoming opponent, CSKA's problems turned out to be much deeper. The Army Men collapsed almost from the very first March rounds, with the peak of the crisis reached in April. For several weeks, the club's leadership and players who spoke of unity around the Swiss coach tried to stifle the fans' calls for his dismissal. In the end, Celestini was fired at the strangest moment - a few days before the final of the Path of Regions in the Russian Cup. Mikhail Galaktionov was not under threat of dismissal this season, but Lokomotiv's second half of the season was much worse. From the Russian Cup, the Railwaymen were knocked out following their meeting with Krylia Sovetov, and in the league they could finish third, which would be their best result since 2021. Bookmakers did not determine a favorite for the upcoming match, offering roughly equal odds for the opponents. CSKA in the previous round ended a six-match winless streak. If we dive into the details of the match in Nizhny Novgorod, the Army Men were on the verge of losing points again. Trailing 0-1 as early as the 87th minute of the match, CSKA managed to score two goals in two minutes and snatch the victory. In both goals, 18-year-old Imran Firov participated. Lokomotiv in the upcoming match simply needs to play as well as Spartak to secure third place. Their opponent will play its match in Kaspiysk against a very motivated Dynamo Makhachkala. To avoid turning to Spartak, Lokomotiv must fight for the win. For Aleksei Batrakov this match may be his last with the visitors, so the team captain and other players will put in maximum effort for a successful outcome.