Spartak Moscow vs Dynamo Moscow

The famous Luzhniki Arena plays host as Spartak Moscow and Dynamo Moscow battle it out for the title in the Russian Cup grand final.

Spartak dismantled second-tier outfit Yenisey 3-0 in the Russian Cup semi-finals to book their place in the tournament’s showpiece for the first time since 2005/06. However, the ‘Gladiators’ have since gone winless in back-to-back Russian Premier League fixtures (D1, L1), despite breaking the deadlock on both occasions. Spartak will draw confidence from going unbeaten in both league meetings with Dynamo this season (W1, D1), scoring precisely two goals in each encounter. It’s also worth noting that before losing 2-1 at Khimki on the final Russian Premier League weekend, Paolo Vanoli’s men had been unbeaten in four competitive matches (W3, D1), three of which saw them score 2+ goals.

On the other hand, Dynamo Moscow’s first foray into the Russian Cup final since a 1-0 defeat to Rubin Kazan in the 2011/12 showpiece comes as the reward for a thumping 3-0 victory over lower-league side Alania in the semi-finals. Though they’ve conquered the Russian Cup seven times, their last success in the competition dates back to 1994/95, highlighting the importance of this fixture for Sandro Schwarz’s team. But to taste cup glory, Dynamo will have to defy their sub-par nine-game H2H form versus Spartak (W1, D3, L5). It’s not much of a comfort, yet their solitary success in that nine-game sequence came in last season’s Russian Cup last-16. Dynamo are winless in their last four competitive matches outside the VTB Arena (D2, L2 – 90 mins only), conceding a worrying average of 2.5 goals per game.