In the centre match of the 18th round Krasnodar will play against Lokomotiv. Both teams are unexpectedly in terrible form. The railwaymen are dropping out of the championship race, while the Bulls have changed their winless streak to a winless one.

Krasnodar had not conceded in the RPL until last round, but the problems started earlier: draws with Rubin and Khimki. In the match with Spartak it became quite alarming - a total defeat with a score of 0:3. It can be said that the southerners were unlucky in some respects, but the opponent was clearly stronger.

Krasnodar's slump so far defies logic: there are no injuries, no reported conflicts in the squad, and all the leaders are in fine fighting form. We can lament a certain set of circumstances: there were some questionable refereeing decisions in Kazan, the match with Khimki was difficult due to the international break, and Spartak failed to score in the opening minutes and then got caught in the hot hand of a fiery opponent.

At the same time, there are no symptoms of a crisis anywhere near. Until the match with Lokomotiv, it is fair to consider Krasnodar as favourites. The championship race continues - the Bulls still have an excellent chance of the title. There are no injuries or disqualifications for the game with Lokomotiv.

The Railwaymen, on the other hand, are already worrying. Lokomotiv have lost three games in a row. Before Khimki, they also offensively dropped out of the RPL Cup of Russia, losing to Dynamo. It can be seen that there are exactly game problems. Alexey Batrakov has somewhat given up - the young talent has had too much workload. In the match against Khimki, it was his mistake that provoked one of the opponent's goals.

Lokomotiv's defence has been a disaster in recent meetings: the club has conceded in five games in a row, in total during this time the opponents of the Railwaymen have loaded the Muscovites' goalkeepers with eleven goals. After a break for national team matches, César Montes and Gersino Nyamsi look much worse. Ilya Lantratov started to make rude mistakes. The goalkeeper is no longer among the best in the RPL in terms of statistical indicators. The club's championship ambitions are not confirmed.

Bookmakers expect a very productive game with the advantage of Krasnodar. The trip to the "bulls" is extremely difficult for Loko. For example, the club has not won at the new stadium at all. The matches of the giants are far from a guarantee of performance. If we take out the Cup games, the total more than three has been totalled once since 2021. Both teams are not in the best shape right now. They may want to reduce the risks. Lokomotiv will definitely give the ball away and act on the counterattack. Krasnodar will not give up a pragmatic victory either. Such a scenario is very likely after the Bulls' quick goal. The southerners this season are not shy to act cautiously with Musaev as well.