The first local derby in the new season of Russian Premier League will see Dinamo Moscow attempt to dislodge arch rivals Spartak from the top of the standings.

Another disappointing season for one of Russia’s most famous clubs ended in seventh-place finish, even if just five points separated them and third-placed Anzhi in the final count.

However, it was the 14th time in last 15 seasons that Dinamo finished outside the top 3, which is certainly a cause for concern for club chiefs.

With that in mind, they haven’t done much to reinforce the club over the summer, with Douglas, Florescu, Dyadyun and Kasaev hardly the players who could turn Dan Peterscu’s side into genuine title contenders.

Meanwhile, the Romanian coach stayed without arguably the most important player as Aleksandr Kokorin joined Anzhi in a mega money deal.

Dinamo eventually started the season with a 2-2 home draw against Volga after coming from a goal behind, before defeating Anzhi 2-1.

However, the mere fact Dinamiki needed more than an hour to score with extra man on the pitch while also conceding a goal in that period is enough to suggest they are not exactly on top of their game at the moment.

As a result, Dinamo are the underdogs in the clash with their local rivals, as bet365 pays 3.40 (12/5) on home win. While new signing Douglas is not yet fit enough to start, experienced striker Kevin Kuranyi is also expected to miss out.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Shunin – Wilkshire, Fernandez, Granat, Lomic – Yusupov, Noboa – Solomatin, Voronin, Kasaev – Smolov.

Unlike their local rivals, Spartak have been showing a great deal of potential of late, although they haven’t quite managed to mount a serious title challenge.

Following yet another promising season and some very shrewd dealings in the transfer window, the Meat might just manage to make things right this term.

Having achieved a top 4 finish for the fourth year running, Spartak were always going to make waves this term, but it was two excellent pieces of business that allowed the team to flourish.

While producing a major coup to lure Tino Costa from Valencia, the Meat also recruited Lokomotiv Moscow captain Denis Glushakov, who has been keeping the likes of Kim Kallstrom on the bench at the start of the season.

Even with several important players missing or not fully fit, Spartak enjoyed a brilliant start to the season, defeating Krylya Sovetov and Ural away from home to climb to the top of the standings.

Seeing as how Romulo is the only unavailable player at the moment, Valeriy Karpin’s side look a good bet to extend their winning run, at odds of 2.20 (6/5) offered by Ladbrokes.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Pesjakov – Parshivlyuk, Bryzgalov, Bocchetti, D. Kombarov – Rafael, Glushakov, Costa – Yakovlev, Movsisyan, Jurado.

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