MOSCOW: Russian champions Spartak Moscow need to switch their focus back to domestic action when they face Zenit St Petersburg on Monday, after a 1-1 draw with Slovenian side Maribor dented their Champions League hopes.
Spartak, who are currently fourth in the Russian Premier League, eight points behind leaders Lokomotiv Moscow, are hoping to gain revenge for a humiliating 5-1 thrashing at Zenit in August to extend their 10-match unbeaten run in the league.
"We experienced problems at the beginning of the season after winning the Russian title following the 16-year drought but now, I believe, we're back on track," coach Massimo Carrera told Spartak's website.
"My men have learned from our mistakes. In recent games they've played with the same desire, passion and emotion that helped us to success last season."
Roberto Mancini's Zenit beat Tosno 5-0 on Sunday to end a five-match winless streak, having led the table in the early weeks of the season.
"The upcoming match with Spartak is 100-percent uppermost in our mind," Russian international striker Alexander Kokorin, who scored a league-leading ninth goal of the season against Tosno, told Russian television.
"We've fulfilled our plan in the Europa League and some of our first-choice players have been given rest in the match with Vardar to prepare for the meeting with Spartak in the best way."
Lokomotiv face newly-promoted SKA Khabarovsk in a match which has caused concerns over the the players' health because of the frosty weather in Russia's Far East.
Russian Premier League bosses refused to switch the game, saying they were not expecting temperatures in Khabarovsk to be any colder than they were for CSKA Moscow's match a week ago.
Lokomotiv head coach Yury Semin said his team were ready to cross eight timezones.
"Any Lokomotiv footballer, who will be alive and kicking will fly to Khabarovsk," Semin said. "It's useless to discuss the league's verdict.
"But I'd like to say that the league matches shouldn't be played under extreme conditions. We have no right to endanger the players' health."
Fixtures (all times GMT)
Friday
Amkar Perm v Dynamo Moscow (1430)
Saturday
Tosno v Arsenal Tula (1330), Akhmat Grozny v Ufa (1600)
Sunday
Ural Yekaterinburg v Krasnodar (0830), Rubin Kazan v CSKA Moscow (1100), Rostov v Anzhi Makhachkala (1330)
Monday
SKA Khabarovsk v Lokomotiv Moscow (0900), Spartak Moscow v Zenit St Petersburg (1630)