Champions League Preview: Stade Rennais v Krasnodar OCTOBER 19, 2020 BY WILL BAUMGARDNER
Krasnodar’s matchup against Rennes this Tuesday will be their first Champions League fixture in club history. The symbolic importance of this match cannot be understated for a club founded a mere 12 years ago, always with ambitions of reaching Europe’s most prestigious competition. While the journey may have taken longer than billionaire owner Sergey Galitsky would have liked, the Bulls are here now and find themselves placed in a manageable group, together with Chelsea, Sevilla, and the aforementioned Rennes. While nobody will consider Krasnodar favourites to make it out of the group, they have enough quality to score an upset or two and fight for third place and an exit from the group into the Europa League.
Tactical Analysis
This match will likely hinge on how much Krasnodar is able to control the midfield. In a typical Russian Premier League fixture, Krasnodar line-up in their tried and true 4-3-3 and look to control the game and go on the offensive as often as they can. They are likely to take the same approach against Rennes, as manager Murad Musaev and club owner Sergey Galitsky are insistent on playing with style being nearly as important as the result. However, they are unlikely to be able to completely control the match against a quality side like Rennes, and so will need to get comfortable playing on the counter at times. Their ability to do so will likely be severely hampered by the absence of Brazilian winger Wanderson and the pace that he provides, and so Krasnodar may find themselves forced to play more defensively than they are used to. Expect to see this game turn into a bit of a siege on Krasnodar’s goal at times, and their ability to weather these storms and create chances of their own will be crucial.
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Team News
Krasnodar enters this fixture with two serious injury concerns. First, star Swedish left-winger Viktor Claesson is believed to have picked up a serious injury this weekend in Russia’s domestic championship and looks set to miss this fixture. Claesson’s goal-scoring presence and tireless running on the left will be a big loss for the Bulls. Brazilian right-winger Wanderson is the other big questionable player for Krasnodar. He was not in the matchday squad this weekend, and according to manager Murad Musaev, isn’t sure to be in the squad for this Tuesday’s match either. Krasnodar tends to struggle mightily without Wanderson’s ability to carry the ball forward and win 1 v 1 matchups, and so they will be lucky if he can even make an impact off of the bench this Tuesday.
The club acquired several players just before the Winter transfer window closed in order to bolster the squad for the Champions League campaign. Evgeniy Markov, Evgeniy Chernov, and Aleksey Ionov are all fairly average Russian players, but their addition to the team will allow Musaev to rotate players more frequently and better manage his squad as they juggle the Champions League and the Russian Premier League. Though this rotation shall be in the league alone, with both Markov and Ionov signed too late to fit into the UCL squad.
Krasnodar has also been hit by a minor Covid-19 epidemic in the squad, with star-player Remy Cabella undergoing an inconclusive test alongside with the aforementioned Markov. Therefore, the influtential Frenchman will be missing. Furthermore, Coach Musaev has developed angina and shall also miss the game.
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Key Players
Picking a keeper as a key player may be a boring choice, but Krasnodar keeper Matvey Safonov will have to be on top form if Krasnodar is to keep this match close. The 21 year-old academy product was called up to the Russian national team for the first time ever recently and has held down the starting job in Krasnodar for almost two seasons now. Safonov has the presence of a decorated veteran, and can often be seen barking out orders and ordering around much older players. His large frame gives him a remarkable save radius, and he is capable of making some really spectacular reflex saves. His only weakness is some occasional indecisiveness when dealing with set-pieces, so keep an eye on him during corners and free kicks.
Another key-man to look at could be that of Tony Vilhena. Despite having been signed for big money, his impact has been underwhelming. He will play a key role here with Krasnodar missing Cabella, Claesson and Wanderson & will need to be far more creative than usual. He could even line-up on the left due to the length of their issues.
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Predicted Lineup
4-3-3: Safonov – Ramirez, Martynovich, Kaio, Petrov – Olsson, Gazinsky, Utkin – Vilhena, Berg, Shapi
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Prediction
Krasnodar fans should be thrilled to watch their team play in the Champions League for the first time ever. However, I don’t think they will be as thrilled when the match is over. While Krasnodar does have quality in the squad, the injuries to Claesson & Wanderson and Cabella’s inconclusive covid test mean that they will simply be overmatched against Rennes.
The French side is currently in second in Ligue 1 and have the quality the likes of which Krasnodar rarely see in the RPL. While I do expect the game to be free-flowing and fairly high scoring, I see Rennes getting the better of Krasnodar here and coming away with all three points.
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