Ak Bars vs Salavat Yulaev. How will the next "Green Derby" turn out?
The first of the four scheduled confrontations this season between the teams of Kazan and Ufa will take place on October 3. The game will take place at the home arena of Ak Bars.
Dmitry Kvartalnov enters his third season as the head coach of the Kazan club. The previous two can be considered successful, twice Ak Bars finished first in the East following the results of the regular championship. The situation with the Gagarin Cup is not so unambiguous, in the 2019/20 season the playoffs were stopped due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, and last year the Cup campaign was stopped by Avangard at the semi-final stage. This season, the Barça enter with a clearly delineated task in the form of a fight for the cup. It is quite possible that this is precisely what the team's functional preparation for the season is connected with, when reaching the peak of form was not forced, but a smooth recruitment was planned in the competitive process.
At the moment, Ak Bars is not showing a champion game, gaining points with a huge creak. And if in defense everything traditionally works like a clockwork, then the attack of the Kazan club is still frankly disappointing. 26 goals scored in 12 games played, that is, on average, a little more than two goals per game. In some matches, Ak Bars leaves due to excellent defensive play, but this cannot last forever. As an example, the last game in Helsinki, where Jokerit Barça responded to four goals with only three of their own, thus suffering their fifth defeat in September. Now Ak Bars has 16 points and is currently fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
Salavat Yulaev
But the Ufa club gives out the best start in the championship over the past few seasons. Tomi Lyamsya's charges are at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, having absolutely identical indicators with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Both teams currently have 20 points, 11 victories and one defeat. Even the difference in goals is the same for the teams, +24 for each of the clubs. The only defeat of the Ufa team in the current season falls on the trip to Cherepovets, where Salavat Yulaev, having a great playing advantage, managed to lose to the local Severstal 1-2.
The fact that this defeat should be considered as an unfortunate accident was proved by the following matches. The most difficult exit on the route St. Petersburg - Yaroslavl was perfect for the Ufa team, beating SKA 4-2 and Lokomotiv 3-2 in turn. In the last game at the moment, Lyamsya's wards dealt with Avtomobilist at home, throwing three goals into the gates of the Ural club. The situation with the number of injured is somewhat alarming. So, the team will go to the next away series without five hockey players of the first team. The most painful losses are on the defensive, where the leading defenders Philip Larsen and Dinar Hafizullin remained on the sidelines.
Our Expert Predictions & Analysis on Ak Bars vs Salavat Yulaev
Ak BarsDmitry Kvartalnov enters his third season as the head coach of the Kazan club. The previous two can be considered successful, twice Ak Bars finished first in the East following the results of the regular championship. The situation with the Gagarin Cup is not so unambiguous, in the 2019/20 season the playoffs were stopped due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, and last year the Cup campaign was stopped by Avangard at the semi-final stage. This season, the Barça enter with a clearly delineated task in the form of a fight for the cup. It is quite possible that this is precisely what the team's functional preparation for the season is connected with, when reaching the peak of form was not forced, but a smooth recruitment was planned in the competitive process.
At the moment, Ak Bars is not showing a champion game, gaining points with a huge creak. And if in defense everything traditionally works like a clockwork, then the attack of the Kazan club is still frankly disappointing. 26 goals scored in 12 games played, that is, on average, a little more than two goals per game. In some matches, Ak Bars leaves due to excellent defensive play, but this cannot last forever. As an example, the last game in Helsinki, where Jokerit Barça responded to four goals with only three of their own, thus suffering their fifth defeat in September. Now Ak Bars has 16 points and is currently fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
Salavat Yulaev
But the Ufa club gives out the best start in the championship over the past few seasons. Tomi Lyamsya's charges are at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, having absolutely identical indicators with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Both teams currently have 20 points, 11 victories and one defeat. Even the difference in goals is the same for the teams, +24 for each of the clubs. The only defeat of the Ufa team in the current season falls on the trip to Cherepovets, where Salavat Yulaev, having a great playing advantage, managed to lose to the local Severstal 1-2.
The fact that this defeat should be considered as an unfortunate accident was proved by the following matches. The most difficult exit on the route St. Petersburg - Yaroslavl was perfect for the Ufa team, beating SKA 4-2 and Lokomotiv 3-2 in turn. In the last game at the moment, Lyamsya's wards dealt with Avtomobilist at home, throwing three goals into the gates of the Ural club. The situation with the number of injured is somewhat alarming. So, the team will go to the next away series without five hockey players of the first team. The most painful losses are on the defensive, where the leading defenders Philip Larsen and Dinar Hafizullin remained on the sidelines.
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