The Russian Premier League will see another round of midweek fixtures. On Tuesday night, Arsenal Tula host Khimki as the two clubs fight for Russian Premier League survival.
Khimki sit in 15th place in the division, three points away from safety. They are chasing Arsenal Tula who sit in 12th place after four matches. The club are a mere three points above Khimki.
The Russian Premier League 2020-21 will see two teams automatically relegated while two additional teams will play in the relegation playoffs. These teams have a lot to play for this season with so much at stake at the bottom of the table.
Arsenal Tula are coming off of their first win of the domestic season last weekend. They defeated Dynamo Moscow 2-0 at home thanks to two goals from Daniil Lesovoy on either side of halftime.
Khimki are coming off of a 2-1 loss to FK Akhmat. Egor Danilkin scored to open the game for Khimki in the 21st minute. Their defence fell apart late in the game allowing FK Akhmat to score twice in the final 17 minutes.
These teams have not met previously as Khimki have just been promoted to the Russian Premier League. They will hope to get one over on Arsenal Tula in their first Russian Premier League meeting.
Arsenal Tula have already played three home matches this term. They have recorded four points from nine possible. They have scored four times and conceded three goals on their home turf.
Khimki have played two games on the road this term. The club have recorded just one point from six possible on their travels. They have scored just once over the course of 180 minutes of away football.
Arsenal Tula and Khimki have both been guilty of being too physical in fixtures. The two clubs have combined for 26 yellow cards after four matchdays. The clubs have also recorded a combined four red cards. Tuesday’s fixture could see cards handed out by the match official to both sides.
In spite of Khimki’s lowly league position, they average 15.8 shots per game, the league’s fifth-most. The figure shows that Khimki are not good finishers.
Tuesday night’s match is a six-point affair. The two sides desperately need all three points as they fight for Russian Premier League survival.
The matchday 5 fixture should end in a low-scoring stalemate as Arsenal Tula and Khimki end in a score draw. These teams should spend much of the season fighting for survival.