Anzhi vs Spartak Nalchik

June 9, 2011
By: John Hansen

The club from Makhachkala continue to impress in the Russian Premier League and after beating Lokomotiv in Moscow they are hoping to keep the rich vein of form and maybe even take over the top spot after this round. Spartak Nalchik are in big problems and they already look like one of the main candidates for the drop.

Anzhi fighting for the title?

The Dagestan club wasted no time upon gaining promotion to the Russian top flight and they immediately announced big ambitions for this season. Having significant transfer funds at their disposal, the club managed to bring some excellent players like Roberto Carlos Mbark Boussoufa, Jucilei, Diego Tardelli and Joao Carlos among others, so it is no wonder that Anzhi have enjoyed a great start to the season. After 11 rounds, the club from Makhachkala sit in fourth place, tied on points with leaders CSKA and they are showing no signs of slowing down. Following the impressive win over Lokomotiv in Moscow, Anzhi are now set to host struggling Spartak Nalchik, meaning this match could be a walk in the park for the hosts. Having already beaten Rubin Kazan, Spartak Moscow and Rostov at home, Anzhi look set to win this game as well.

Defender Joao Carlos misses out after picking up red card against Lokomotiv, but he is the only absentee at the moment.

Second season syndrome

Spartak Nalchik were pretty impressive last season and they spend the big part of the league campaign very close to the top of the standings, but the pressure of expectations finally got to them and they ended up missing out on European qualification. The poor finish of the season seems to have had a very negative effect on the squad as Spartak have been utterly disappointing this term. The squad have undergone major changes this winter and that may be one of the reasons for the poor performances, but it is still evident that this side don’t have enough quality to match the best sides in the league. Having scored just one goal in five away games this season, we cannot expect Spartak to fare any better against very good Anzhi side, whereas you can be pretty sure they will concede at least a couple of goals in Makhachkala.

Defender Evgeny Ovsienko is suspended, but Milan Jovanovic returns to the side.

Verdict

The heavy winter recruitment is paying off for Anzhi, who now boast a team capable of playing with the best of them, so the hosts should have no problems against struggling Spartak. The team from Nalchik largely struggle away from home and I can’t see them getting anything from this match.

Our prediction: Home win

Odds: 1.80 (4/5)

Bookmaker: Sportingbet

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