On Monday, July 21, the programme of the first round of the Russian championship will close. Orenburg will play at home against CSKA. Last season, the hosts dropped out on sporting grounds and were already preparing for the First League. The Army men also had a tough summer. The team won the Super Cup but with new coach Fabio Celestini. Marko Nikolic left the club.

Fabio Celestini immediately abandoned the familiar diamond. CSKA will be rebuilding as the season progresses. The Swiss specialist is set on attacking football and the 4-3-3 scheme. That said, there are some curious and risky moments. Igor Akinfeev is now playing more of a short passing game, while Danil Krugovoy has moved to the attacking line.

CSKA defeated Krasnodar in an even match. The game was difficult. In the first half the Army Men were more defensive, but after the break they created several dangerous chances. The young talent Kirill Glebov stood out. The midfielder may well become a mainstay.

An important moment is the departure of Abbosbek Faizullayev. Most likely, the leader of the Uzbekistan national team will not play in Orenburg. In the Cup of Russia, the player was not used from the first minutes. The transfer to Turkey may be agreed in the near future.

Orenburg in 2025 looked decent in the Russian championship. The team failed much earlier - in the first round. Vladimir Slishkovich deserved a second chance. Against Orenburg - the effect of surprise. Still, the squad was assembled for the First League, and the fight in the RPL is a completely different level. Perhaps, the club would not have let some key players go.

In particular, Orenburg left important midfielder Brian Mansilla, the main player on the left side of the defence Maxim Sidorov, two foreigners from the midfield Gabriel Florentin and Ivan Bashic. The squad was selected taking into account the attacking football at the level of average clubs of the First League. Now Vladimir Slishkovich needs to radically rebuild.

The team still has a few players of RPL level, but in general, in terms of performance, the players objectively do not reach even the competitors in the fight for survival. A failure is very possible in the first matches.

Bookmakers still lead Orenburg at last year's odds, but the club has definitely become weaker. There is no whole brigade of legionnaires. The artificial pitch is unlikely to be an important factor. CSKA will have no problem adjusting and attacking. Last season Orenburg beat Spartak at home in counterattacking fashion, but it will be difficult to do so now. There are no suitable performers for quick counterattacks. The total advantage of the visitors is visible. Theoretically, we can assume a rout, given the new coach's attacking spirit.