Akhmat – Khimki: how will Talalaev’s team trip to Grozny end?

Athletistic/ Football. On Saturday, May 20, Akhmat will face Khimki in RPL. And in the Spanish example, the new champion of Spain – “Barcelona” – at the “Camp Nou” will take on “Real Sociedad”.

Akhmat – Khimki

In the 28th round of the RPL, Akhmat will host Khimki. The Grozny club, three laps from the finish, did not, against all expectations, lose their chances of medals. A victory in the next round can, in some scenarios, bring the team closer to Spartak and Rostov, who have very difficult encounters. “Khimki” in case of defeat with a high degree of probability will fly into the Premier League. Most likely, even a draw will not be enough to save the Moscow region team.

Akhmat is one of the main discoveries of 2023. A modest club of a strong middle peasant turned into a contender for places in the top five. Tashuev’s team in 2023 only lost to Lokomotiv and CSKA. If we take the results of the last ten rounds, then Akhmat scored twenty points. It’s almost like a champ. Tashuev’s team is struggling very well under difficult circumstances. Striker Agalarov still does not live up to expectations, but Konate replaced him qualitatively. The club suffered serious losses due to the absence of Berisha and Sadulaev, but managed to send three balls into Dynamo’s goal. Akhmat does not break under pressure, even in matches with the best clubs. It is curious that in the last three meetings Grozny players play strictly total over. This is an unusual scenario for Sergey Tashuev’s teams. The coach is in favor of a disciplined game. Mentor does not welcome open football. That is, such results cannot be considered a tendency to change Akhmat’s tactics. Khimki has some momentum with Andrey Talalaev, but it comes with a heavy legacy from other coaches. The team managed to show itself adequately against the background of Dynamo and Spartak. Against the blue and white, the decisive goal was conceded at the very end of the match on a penalty. Spartak managed to snatch a draw. Much is involved in the individual actions of Reziuan Mirzov. It is all the more surprising that under other coaches the footballer did not always get into the main team. “Khimki” with Talalaev left any attempts to play offensively. The club operates according to the usual cautious strategy. It shows in the last two games with the Giants. Against “Akhmat”, it will be the same scenario. At the same time, the bookmakers still give a base total of three goals, starting with Akhmat’s abnormal performance.

It is very likely that “Khimki” will be closed in its own half by great forces. The Moscow region team needs a win, but the underdog with Talalaev won’t take the risk anyway. “Akhmat” is great when it acts as a second number. It will be difficult for the team to easily pass the positional defense. The defeat of an outsider is unlikely. Talalaev still managed to make some connections in defense.

Barcelona – Real Sociedad

On Saturday, May 20, Barcelona will face Real Sociedad in the La Liga 35th round. The Catalans celebrated the league title in the last round. The team lost motivation for the tournament. But Real Sociedad risks entering the Champions League. The team still have five points in reserve on Villarreal, but the situation could deteriorate in the event of defeat. Barcelona spent the whole week partying. The club won the first major trophy with Xavi. The team went on a fine series of three consecutive victories. In total, “Betis”, “Osasuna” and “Espanyol” were defeated with the score 9:2. Two goals conceded in the derby were the result of a relaxation. Confident finish “Barcelona” is quite easy to explain. Xavi’s team was finally able to put together the main roster. Pedri, Gavi, De Jong and Dembele have integrated the back. In the center of the defense, a band of Araujo and Christensen are performing qualitatively. Both players are in good shape. Ter Stegen is still the best goalkeeper in La Liga.

Barcelona don’t have big tasks left, but there is an opportunity to make history in terms of statistics. The team haven’t conceded in 25 matches. Tournament record – 26 matches. There is an opportunity to give a gift to the German goalkeeper. Barcelona’s medical staff can rest. There are no injuries on the official list. Only Gavi will not play against Real Sociedad. The player has a disqualification. The Basques have somewhat complicated life on the finish line of the championship. In the last round, Imanol Alguasil’s wards couldn’t put pressure on the average Girona peasant at home. The timetable for the arrival of the club is very complicated. Ahead will be either giants or motivated opponents. That is, with “Barcelona” it is desirable to cling to at least a draw. The “Real Sociedad” has emerged from the winter crisis. It was also helped by the return of some of the main actors. Two leaders Silva and Oyarzabal got into shape. Due to injuries, only Mendez and Umar are out. At the same time, the central striker has returned to training, but he is unlikely to be available in the next game. Real Sociedad have gone unbeaten for five consecutive games. In particular, Real Madrid were even beaten, but their reserve composition was without much motivation.

It’s doubtful that Sociedad are capable of ruining a Barcelona holiday. The team is still not in the best condition in terms of quality of play, as it was at the start of the season. Moreover, Sociedad have recently become one of Barcelona’s most practical opponents. The Catalans have won five matches in a row. In the last ten confrontations, they have not experienced any defeats at all. The Catalans’ coefficient is slightly overestimated due to a lack of motivation. It is worth using.

Artyom Andreev, Sport.Ru