On Saturday, 26 July, Dynamo will play in Moscow against Rostov. Both teams have started relatively poorly. The white-blues only managed to take a point at home against Baltika while Rostov couldn't hold on in Saint Petersburg, although they performed better than expected.

Dynamo faced unexpected problems in their match against Baltika. Nonetheless, Valery Karpin's team were clear favourites against a club that had just been promoted from the First League. The most disappointing part is that they cannot blame bad luck. Dynamo made many defensive errors and created very little in attack. For instance, Ivan Sergeev was completely neutralised. Yaroslav Gladyshev also faded from the game. Expectations for the young talent have increased, yet he is far from meeting them. The only goal came from a set piece. Only Bitello in the attacking group had a quality game.

Another issue is the weak goalkeeping position. Andrey Lunev is not used to short goal kicks and made a mistake when coming out against Baltika. The goalkeeper had already made errors in friendly matches prior to that. It is possible that Karpin will opt for another goalkeeper for the second round.

Currently, the coach has almost no rotation options available due to injuries affecting a whole group of players. Luis Chavez, Arthur Gomes, Konstantin Tyukavin, and Milan Majstorovic are all sidelined for an extended period. Midfielder Diego Laxalt has not yet recovered either. In the match against Baltika, Karpin tried to strengthen the game with the young talent Ulvi Babaev and veteran Denis Makarov. This is far from a championship-level reserve. Meanwhile, negotiations for new players are ongoing.

Don't expect Jorge Carrascal to appear either. Everything points to a transfer for the Colombian. Karpin will once again need to rely on his main squad to cope.

Many overestimate Rostov after their narrow defeat in Saint Petersburg. Zenit still has not established connections among its stars. The southerners did nothing special—they defended for the entirety of the match after a ridiculous mistake by the Petersburg goalkeeper, Evgeny Latyshonok. Rostov has hardly strengthen their squad over the summer, losing all their key players. It’s doubtful that the club will not be fighting for survival.

The odds on Dynamo seem inflated. Firstly, the advantage in the squad is immense. Glebov and Osipenko have just moved from Rostov to Dynamo. Secondly, Karpin knows both the team and Jonathan Alba’s ideas perfectly. The new coach of Rostov is Karpin’s student.

Dynamo should rehabilitate itself at home. Expectations are very high, and Rostov is definitely not stronger than Baltika at the moment. The odds are also intriguing. Dynamo has received only 1.70, whereas just a week ago it was 1.50. A rout is also possible.