Winter break in the Russian championship, which lasts here for about two and a half months, brought serious hopes to the ranks of the fans of Russia's runner-up. The club from Saint Petersburg shed ballast in the form of several not particularly needed Latin Americans and replaced them with Brazilian John John and Colombian John Durán. In addition, as a result of the player swap, the blue-white-blue squad was joined by Igor Diveev. Unfortunately, as Petersburg fans have grown used to, the expectations during the winter break at the start of spring have turned into a rather bitter reality. Zenit's results in three official matches since February 28 of this year are hard to call unequivocally bad, but the team's play leaves much to be desired. Spartak saw fewer personnel changes in the squad, but major changes occurred on the coaching bench of the red-and-whites. The twentieth coach of Spartak in the last 23 years became Juan Cardoso, who in August 2025 for the first time in history led Cypriot Pafos to the Champions League. Under the guidance of the Spanish specialist, the capital club won two of the three matches, but its play left more questions than answers. Bookmakers named the home team as favorites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.71 on their victory. In the opening official matches of 2026, Zenit demonstrated that they have not yet recovered from their old problem of breaking through layered defensive lines. Two victories over Baltika, in the national cup and the championship, were nerve-wracking, tainted by a refereeing scandal, and the runner-up achieved them with just one productive strike in each case. Last weekend brought Zenit's first defeat, inflicted by the fourteenth-placed Premier League team, Orenburg. Spartak, unlike its future opponent, won league matches against Akron and Sochi, but conceded five goals in total in them. In defense, the red-and-whites are experiencing a real nightmare, which in Saint Petersburg risks being worsened by the absence of suspended defender Alexander Djiku. Also Moscow Dynamo underscored Spartak's true level last week by beating their opponent in the Russian Cup 5-2. Despite all its difficulties, Zenit will hand a defeat to its arch-rival.