CSKA's coach not underestimating Lokomotiv

The Red Army outfit are just a point ahead of second-placed Rostov, who visit strugglers Kuban Krasnodar on Sunday, but come into the match in good form having thumped minnows Mordovia Saransk 7-1 last week.

"My men all did really well in our last match," Slutsky told CSKA's official site.

"The match against Lokomotiv will be very important. They are well-organised in defence and have some good players in their attacking line.

"I expect a very hard encounter. Lokomotiv's position in the leading group is not an accident. And I'm sure that they will do their best to improve their position in the table."

Reigning champions Zenit St Petersburg, who sit third, two points further back, hope to extend their winning series to five matches when they take on Russia's most successful club Spartak Moscow, also on Saturday.

Zenit head coach Andre Villas-Boas, who has recently confirmed his intention to leave the club at the end of the season, remains confident of going out on a high.

"We want to win the league again this season," Zenit's official site quoted the former Porto, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager as saying.

"We still have to wait for our opponents to slip up, but Zenit are doing well and we are in our best period of the season so far.

"This (match) will be the last one for me between Zenit and Spartak, we want to win and I believe we can do it." 

Spartak manager Dmitry Alenichev meanwhile said his men will need to play their best to achieve a positive result.

"I expect a really tough clash on Saturday," he told the press.

"Zenit are defending champions, they're on the rise now after winning their last four league matches. 

"I have no doubts that we will need to perform at our best to achieve a positive result in Saint Petersburg."

Fixtures (all times GMT)

Friday

Mordovia Saransk v Amkar Perm (1600)

Saturday

Terek Grozny v FC Krasnodar (1130), Lokomotiv Moscow v CSKA Moscow (1400), Zenit St Petersburg v Spartak Moscow (1630)

Sunday

Ufa v Anzhi Makhachkala (1130), Dynamo Moscow v Samara (1400), Kuban Krasnodar v Rostov (1630)

Monday

Ural Yekaterinburg v Rubin Kazan (1400)