New Premier League season. Main news
The Russian Football Championship 2018/2019 is the 27th edition of the main national championship of the country, which will begin in the summer of 2018. The trophy of the tournament will be played by 16 professional teams representing almost all corners of Russia. But only one of them is destined to try on champion laurels. Which club will be this lucky one: CSKA, Lokomotiv, Zenit, Spartak? Or maybe a modest but ambitious team from the provinces is ready to encroach on the trophy?!
Schedule of matches of the championship of Russia on football 2018/19
The 27th edition starts in the second half of July or early August 2018. The first half of the season will last until mid-December.
A few months later - in March - the second segment of the championship will begin. It will end in May 2019.
Specific dates are not yet known. The organizers have not published the 2018-2019 football calendar of the Czech Republic. The upcoming World Cup brings some confusion. Because of him, a new draw could start in August.
What's new
Officials of the RFU do not plan any major changes in the rules of the tournament. The championship will be held according to the usual scheme "autumn - spring". 16 PFC will take part in it, which will play medals in two rounds. The gold and silver medalists will receive a ticket to the Champions League group stage, and the bronze medalists will start their journey in the main European Cup with qualification.
Naturally, that will not do without rotation. According to the results of the 27th draw, the two worst teams that took 15th-16th places will leave the elite division. In their place will come the gold and silver medalists of the championship. In addition, the third and fourth teams of the Football National League, as well as the 13th and 14th FC RFPL, will play among themselves for the right to play in the major leagues in the 2019/20 season.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the limit on legionnaires - a sore subject for our football community. In July 2017, RFU President Vitaly Mutko announced that in the new edition of the Czech Republic, the format of the application of foreign football players will change: the “6 + 5” scheme will be replaced by “10 + 15”. But subsequent statements by other football functionaries disavowed his words. The limit will remain the same in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons.
Premier League teams 2018/19
It is known for sure that on the field in the upcoming edition we will see the following teams:
- "Locomotive";
- "Zenith";
- "Spartacus";
- "Krasnodar";
- CSKA;
- "Ufa";
- "Akhmat";
- "Ural";
- "Arsenal";
- Rostov.
Almost lost the chance to stay in the top league Khabarovsk "SKA-Khabarovsk". Another 5 teams - Rubin, Dynamo, Tosno, Amkar, Anji - are close to the relegation zone.
But the Premier League in the 2018-2019 season will not be left without replenishment. The following FNL clubs claim to participate in the elite division:
- "Yenisei";
- "Orenburg";
- "Wings of Soviets";
- "Tambov";
- Dynamo (St. Petersburg).
Wings of the Soviets and Orenburg are well known to RFPL fans. Relatively recently, they could see them in the standings.
The Krasnoyarsk Yenisei can be called a dark horse. This is a small club with big ambitions. Krasnoyarsk performed well in the 2016/17 Russian Cup, when they managed to reach 1/8, beating the reigning Premier League champion CSKA Moscow along the way. The bitterness of defeat was sweetened by the FNL 2016/17 bronze, which gave Enisey the right to play-offs. In a series of head-to-head matches Krasnoyarsk lost to Arsenal and Tula.
FC from Siberia in the current edition of the Football National League is in first place. If Krasnoyarsk keep the advantage, they qualify for the big leagues directly.
Championship standings
The number of contenders for leadership in the standings is limited. With a high degree of probability, a narrow circle of top clubs will claim the championship medals.
"Locomotive"
"Railroad workers" got a second wind after the return of their legendary helmsman Yuri Semin to the post. Muscovites are favored by excellent team coherence and discipline, fresh coaching ideas and a clip of young players eager to prove their professional suitability to the football world.
However, the red-greens live in conditions of austerity. Will they have enough resources to win the title?
CSKA
Another Moscow team living on a meager ration. In the past, this did not prevent the "soldiers" from churning out one victory after another. But resource hunger has intensified in recent seasons, which did not fail to affect the game.
Management has found funds to strengthen. But will the new players be worthy replacements for the departed ones?
"Spartacus"
The "People's Team" has almost no personnel and financial problems. For the first time in many years, the red-whites can boast of an optimal line-up. Will this be enough for an ambitious club to achieve victory?
"Zenith"
The richest PFC in the country. While others are painfully deciding how to make ends meet, St. Petersburg residents are buying players who would be enough to staff several clubs.
Zenit, according to experts, will show the highest football result in the Czech Republic 2018/2019. Pitertsam quite on the shoulders of gold medals. Will it be so - the upcoming games will show!
Regional teams
There is a whole galaxy of football clubs from regions, such as Rubin and Krasnodar, claiming the top three. It is possible that some of them will be successful. The gold of the Russian Championship in 2008 and 2009 "Rubin" and the silver of "Rostov" in the RFPL championship 2015/16 prove that these are not empty words!
Game calendar (1st - 30th rounds)
1st and 2nd round
3rd and 4th round
5th and 6th round
7th and 8th round
9th and 10th round
11th and 12th round
13th and 14th round
15th and 16th round
17th and 18th round
19th and 20th round
21st and 22nd round
23rd and 24th round
25th and 26th round
27th and 28th round
29th and 30th round
Olympiastadion (Munich, Germany). Opened in 1972. It seats 69,250 spectators.
The final match of the first UEFA Champions League in the 1992/93 season took place at the Olympiastadion in Munich. Marseille and Milan fought for the trophy. The meeting, which took place on May 23, 1993, ended with the victory of the French team with a score of 1:0.
The Munich arena hosted the second final of the main European club tournament in 1997. Borussia Dortmund defeated Juventus 3-1 in that match.
Olympic Stadium (Athens, Greece). Opened in 1982, renovated in 2002-2004. It seats 69,618 spectators.
The Olympic stadium in the capital of Greece can be called happy for Milan. After losing the final of the 1992/93 season, the Italian club again reached the decisive stage of the tournament the following year, where they defeated Barcelona 4-0.
After 13 years, the Rossoneri again entered the field of the Olympic Stadium in Athens as a contender for the trophy, and again they managed to win, this time over Liverpool - 2: 1.
"Ernst Happel Stadion" (Vienna, Austria). Opened in 1931, renovated twice - in 1986 and 2008. It seats 55,665 spectators.
The arena in the capital of Austria hosted the 1994/95 Champions League final, and Milan participated in it for the third time in a row. Like two years earlier, the Italians lost 0-1, but this time to Ajax.
"Stadium Olimpico" (Italy, Rome). Opened in 1937, the last reconstruction was carried out in 1989-1990. It seats 72,698 spectators.
In the 1995/96 season, Ajax came to Rome in the status of the current Champions League winner, but the Dutch club failed to defend their title. Already in the first half of the match with Juventus, the teams exchanged goals, after which they brought the matter to a penalty shootout. “Bianconeri” were more accurate and won the main club trophy in Europe.
The Olympic Stadium in Rome won the right to once again host the 2008/09 Champions League final, but this time the local teams failed to make it to the decisive stage of the tournament. Barcelona won the trophy this year by beating Manchester United 2-0.
"Amsterdam Arena" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands). Opened in 1996. It seats 54,990 spectators.
The stadium, now named after Johan Cruyff, hosted the Champions League final just two years after it opened. In May 1998, Real Madrid and Juventus met at the Amsterdam Arena. The match ended 1-0 in favor of the Madrid club.
Camp Nou (Barcelona, Spain). Opened in 1957, it was reconstructed twice - in 1995 and 2008. It seats 99,354 spectators.
Barcelona's stadium has seen many memorable matches, but the 1998/99 Champions League final stands alone. That meeting between Bayern and Manchester United can be called legendary without exaggeration. The Germans took the lead already in the 6th minute and controlled the course of the game until the last minutes, but two goals scored by the Mancunians in injury time of the second half brought victory to Manchester United.
"Stade de France" (Saint-Denis, France). Opened in 1998. It seats 81,338 spectators.
The arena, built on the outskirts of Paris, became the venue for the Champions League final in the 1999/2000 season for the first time. The meeting between Real Madrid and Valencia ended with a confident victory of the Madrid club with a score of 3:0. This was the first time in the history of the Champions League that clubs from the same country played in the final.
Six years later, in the 2005/06 season, Barcelona and Arsenal competed for the trophy at the Stade de France. The Londoners, who played in the minority from the 18th minute after the removal of goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, opened the scoring 10 minutes before the break, but in the second half goals from Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti brought victory to the Catalans - 2:1.
"San Siro" (Milan, Italy). Opened in 1926. The last renovation took place in 1989. Accommodates 80,018 spectators.
The San Siro Stadium was renamed in honor of Giuseppe Meazza in 1979, but the historical name of the arena remains the most popular and recognizable all over the world. The Champions League final has been played here twice.
In the 2000/01 season, Bayern and Valencia played a dramatic match in Milan, in which penalty kicks played a major role. Already in the 2nd minute, Gaiska Mendieta took the Spaniards ahead from the penalty spot, and after 4 minutes the goalkeeper of the “Bats” Santiago Canizares repelled the 11-meter shot by Mehmet Scholl. At the beginning of the second half, Stefan Effenberg equalized from the penalty spot, and the fate of the match was decided in a series of post-match strikes, in which the Bayern players were more accurate.
Fifteen years later, in May 2016, Real and Atlético in the same arena almost exactly repeated the scenario of the game between Bayern and Valencia. Regular time also ended with a score of 1:1, in extra time the teams failed to distinguish themselves, and in the penalty shootout the victory was won by the "Royal Club".
Hampden Park (Glasgow, Scotland). Opened in 1903. Refurbished in 1999. It seats 51,866 spectators.
Real Madrid and Bayer 04 took to the Hampden Park field in the Champions League final in May 2002, and six months later the arena celebrated its 99th anniversary. The match itself ended with a score of 2:1 in favor of Real Madrid and was remembered for the most beautiful goal of Zinedine Zidane from the penalty line.
Old Trafford (Manchester, England). Opened in 1910. The last renovation was carried out in 2006. It seats 74,879 spectators.
The second final in the modern history of the Champions League with the participation of teams representing one country took place in the 2002/2003 season. In the decisive match of the tournament, which took place in Manchester, met "Milan" and "Juventus". The main and additional time ended with the score 0:0, and in the penalty shoot-out, the victory for Milan was brought by Andriy Shevchenko's exact shot.
Veltins Arena (Gelsenkirchen, Germany). Opened in 2001. The last time the capacity of the stadium was increased in 2015, today it is 62,271 people.
The current name of the arena has been since the summer of 2005, previously it was called the Arena AufSchalke. The stadium hosted matches of the world championships in football and hockey. Since 2002, the annual Christmas race of biathlon stars has been held here.
The 2004 Champions League Final, held in Gelsenkirchin, is one of the most memorable for fans from Russia, as one of the goals was scored by Dmitry Alenichev. Midfielder "Porto" set the final score of the match against "Monaco" (3:0). The Portuguese team at that time was led by José Mourinho, who became the youngest head coach in history to win the main club trophy in Europe.
Olympic Stadium (Istanbul, Türkiye). Opened in 2002. It seats 80,500 spectators.
The stadium in Istanbul was built for the proposed 2008 Summer Olympics, but Turkey's bid did not win the required number of votes, and the Olympics took place in Beijing. Currently, the arena in Istanbul bears the name of the first president of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and is the largest in the country.
The Istanbul Champions League final in 2005 is arguably the greatest in the history of the tournament. In the decisive match, "Milan" after the first half smashed "Liverpool" with a score of 3:0, but in the second half of the meeting, goals from Gerrard, Schmicer and Alonso turned everything upside down. There were no goals scored in extra time, and the British club turned out to be stronger in the penalty shootout.
Luzhniki (Moscow, Russia). Opened in 1956. The last renovation was carried out in 2017. It seats 81,000 spectators.
For the first time, Russia received the right to host the 2007/08 Champions League final, and this honorable mission was entrusted to the Luzhniki Grand Sports Arena. Chelsea and Manchester United fought for the trophy, which was the first time that two English teams met in the decisive match of the Champions League.
The game caused great excitement among the fans in both England and Russia, more than 67 thousand spectators were present in the stands. In the middle of the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo put Manchester United ahead, but just before the break, Frank Lampard equalized. The second half and extra time passed without goals scored, and the Mancunians were more accurate in the penalty shootout.
"Santiago Bernabeu" (Madrid, Spain). Opened in 1947. The last reconstruction was carried out in 2001. It seats 81,044 spectators.
The home arena of one of the most successful clubs in modern football hosted the Champions League final only once - in the 2009/10 season, but this is the only match so far made history.
In the Madrid final met "Inter" and "Bayern". The match ended with a score of 2:0 in favor of the Italian club, and José Mourinho, who was working with the Nerazzurri at that moment, became the third coach in history who managed to win the Champions Cup with two different teams (now there are already five of them: in addition to the Portuguese, this is Ernst Happel, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jupp Heynckes and Carlo Ancelotti).
An interesting fact is that in the 2010 final of the Milanese there was only one Italian - Marco Materazzi, and he appeared on the field in the 90th minute of the match.
Wembley (London, England). Opened in 2007. Accommodates 90,000 spectators.
The new Wembley was built on the site of the legendary arena, which hosted World and European Championship matches, the Olympic Games and many European Cup finals.
The final match of the 2010/11 Champions League, which took place at the new Wembley, in a sense turned out to be home for Manchester United, but this did not help the Mancunians to win the trophy. Led by the trio Xavi-Iniesta-Messi, Barcelona won 3-1.
In 2013, Wembley hosted the first "German" Champions League final between Bayern and Borussia Dortmund. The victory and the cup for the Bavarians was brought by an accurate shot by Arjen Robben, who in the 89th minute set the final score - 2:1.
Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany). Opened in 2005. It seats 67,812 spectators.
The decisive match of the Champions League of the 2011/12 season was the first final of the tournament, which was held at the home stadium of one of the participants in the meeting - Bayern hosted Chelsea in Munich. The scoring was opened only in the 83rd minute after a strike by the hosts forward Thomas Muller, but five minutes later the Londoners attack leader Didier Drogba restored the balance.
The fate of the trophy was decided in a penalty shootout. Bayern again took the lead after Philipp Lahm's accurate shot and Juan Mata's miss, but then the guests' players realized all their attempts, while the German team's players made two misfires. Thus, Chelsea won the Champions League for the first time in its history.
Millennium (Cardiff, Wales). Opened in 1999. It seats 73,930 spectators.
The home arena of the Wales national team was opened at the turn of the millennium, having received the appropriate name, but in 2016 the stadium received a new name - Principality Stadium, which with a certain amount of imagination can be translated simply as "The Prince's Stadium", since Wales is part of the United Kingdom, and the Queen's son Elizabeth II Charles bears the title of Prince of Wales.
But back to the Champions League. The final of the main European club tournament took place here in 2017, and the participants in that match were Real and Juventus. Madrid won 4-1 to win a second Champions League title in a row, and football fans will remember that meeting with the super goal of Turin striker Mario Mandzukic.
Metropolitano (Madrid, Spain). Opened in 1994. Renovated in 2017. It seats 67,700 spectators.
Liverpool and Tottenham met in the 2019 Champions League final. The final was the first in Tottenham's history, and the first since the 2013 final, where at least one Spanish club did not play. Liverpool, who reached the final for the second time in a row, won the match 2-0. In his third Champions League final as head coach, Jurgen Klopp won the trophy.
So domestic sports fans No. 1 have waited for the start of the next Russian football championship of the 2019-2020 season. Everyone is again waiting for a tense and unpredictable championship with the participation of the best teams in the country. Of course, many fans are interested in the full schedule of matches of the Russian Football Championship. You can study it in detail on our website. With us, any visitor can find out the date and time of any meeting of the coming season. In addition, the RFPL game calendar is conveniently sorted, thereby saving time for fans of a particular team in viewing the tournament grid.