The Russian Premier League returns on March 17.
Russia’s top-tier football competition began on August 8 last year and will be completed on May 16, 2021. The tournament is in its 29th year of operation since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the 17th edition under the current Russian Premier League name.
A total of 240 matches are played in one campaign, with the 16 contesting teams playing 30 matches each.
Zenit St Petersburg is the defending champion of the Russian Premier League and currently leads the points table with a six-point cushion over second-placed Dynamo Moscow. Since the rebranding of the competition in 2002, Zenit and CSKA Moscow have won six titles each.
The other teams to have lifted the trophy are Lokomotiv Moscow (2002, 2004, 2017–18), Rubin Kazan (2008, 2009), and Spartak Moscow (2016-17). But in terms of most league titles in Russian football history, Spartak Moscow stands tall with 10 trophies.
Sergei Semak’s Zenit St Petersburg have won the last two editions (2018–19, 2019–20) and are seemingly on course to become the first Russian team to win the Russian Premier League three times in a row.
Russian Premier League 2021 schedule, fixtures, and India match times
All times in Indian Standard Time (IST)
Matchday 23
Wednesday, Mar 17, 2021: Rotor Volgograd vs FC Rostov - 8:30 PM IST
Wednesday, Mar 17, 2021: Akhmat Grozny vs Arsenal Tula - 10:30 PM IST
Wednesday, March 17, 2021: CSKA Moscow vs Zenit St. Petersburg - 10:30 PM IST
Thursday, March 18, 2021: FC Ufa vs Lokomotiv Moscow - 7:30 PM IST
Thursday, March 18, 2021: Spartak Moscow vs Ural Yekaterinburg - 9:30 PM IST
Thursday, March 18, 2021: FC Krasnodar vs Dynamo Moscow - 9:30 PM IST
Friday, March 19, 2021: FC Sochi vs PFC Tambov - 9:30 PM IST
Friday, March 19, 2021: Rubin Kazan vs FC Khimki - 9:30 PM IST
Matchday 24
Saturday, April 3, 2021: Rotor Volgograd vs Lokomotiv Moscow - 4:30 PM IST
Saturday, April 3, 2021: FC Krasnodar vs Akhmat Grozny - 7:00 PM IST
Saturday, April 3, 2021: Rubin Kazan vs FC Sochi - 7:00 PM IST
Saturday, April 3, 2021: Dynamo Moscow vs FC Ufa - 9:30 PM IST
Sunday, April 4, 2021: Ural Yekaterinburg vs Arsenal Tula - 4:30 PM IST
Sunday, April 4, 2021: PFC Tambov vs CSKA Moscow - 7:00 PM IST
Sunday, April 4, 2021: FC Rostov vs Spartak Moscow - 9:30 PM IST
Monday, April 5, 2021: Zenit St. Petersburg vs FC Khimki - 9:30 PM IST
Matchday 25
Saturday, April 10, 2021: FC Khimki vs PFC Tambov - 4:30 PM IST
Saturday, April 10, 2021: FC Ufa vs Akhmat Grozny - 7:00 PM IST
Saturday, April 10, 2021: FC Rostov vs Rubin Kazan - 9:30 PM IST
Sunday, April 11, 2021: Arsenal Tula vs FC Ufa - 4:30 PM IST
Sunday, April 11, 2021: Dynamo Moscow vs Ural Yekaterinburg - 4:30 PM IST
Sunday, April 11, 2021: FC Sochi vs Zenit St. Petersburg - 7:00 PM IST
Sunday, April 11, 2021: Lokomotiv Moscow vs Spartak Moscow - 9:30 PM IST
Monday, April 12, 2021: CSKA Moscow vs Rotor Volgograd - 9:30 PM IST
Matchday 26
Saturday, April 17, 2021: Akhmat Grozny vs FC Khimki - 4:30 PM IST
Saturday, April 17, 2021: Rotor Volgograd vs Dynamo Moscow - 7:00 PM IST
Saturday, April 17, 2021: Lokomotiv Moscow vs FC Rostov - 7:00 PM IST
Saturday, April 17, 2021: FC Krasnodar vs Zenit St. Petersburg - 9:30 PM IST
Sunday, April 18, 2021: Ural Yekaterinburg vs Rubin Kazan - 2:30 PM IST
Sunday, April 18, 2021: Arsenal Tula vs PFC Tambov - 4:30 PM IST
Sunday, April 18, 2021: FC Sochi vs Spartak Moscow - 7:00 PM IST
Sunday, April 18, 2021: CSKA Moscow vs FC Ufa - 9:30 PM IST
Matchday 27
Saturday, April 24, 2021: Ural Yekaterinburg vs Akhmat Grozny - 4:30 PM IST
Saturday, April 24, 2021: Zenit St. Petersburg vs Rotor Volgograd - 7:00 PM IST
Saturday, April 24, 2021: PFC Tambov vs Lokomotiv Moscow - 9:30 PM IST
Saturday, April 24, 2021: Dynamo Moscow vs FC Khimki - 9:30 PM IST
Sunday, April 18, 2021: FC Ufa vs FC Sochi - 4:30 PM IST
Sunday, April 18, 2021: FC Rostov vs Arsenal Tula - 7:00 PM IST
Sunday, April 18, 2021: Spartak Moscow vs CSKA Moscow - 7:00 PM IST
Sunday, April 18, 2021: Rubin Kazan vs FC Krasnodar - 9:30 PM IST
Matchday 28
Saturday, May 1, 2021: Rotor Volgograd vs Akhmat Grozny - 4:30 PM IST
Saturday, May 1, 2021: FC Khimki vs Ural Yekaterinburg - 4:30 PM IST
Saturday, May 1, 2021: CSKA Moscow vs FC Ufa - 7:00 PM IST
Saturday, May 1, 2021: FC Krasnodar vs FC Sochi - 9:30 PM IST
Sunday, May 2, 2021: Rubin Kazan vs Dynamo Moscow - 4:30 PM IST
Sunday, May 2, 2021: FC Rostov vs PFC Tambov - 7:00 PM IST
Sunday, May 2, 2021: Zenit St. Petersburg vs Lokomotiv Moscow - 9:30 PM IST
Monday, May 3, 2021: Arsenal Tula vs Spartak Moscow - 7:00 PM IST
Matchday 29
Friday, May 7, 2021: Akhmat Grozny vs PFC Tambov - 8:30 PM IST
Friday, May 7, 2021: FC Sochi vs Rotor Volgograd - 10:30 PM IST
Saturday, May 8, 2021: FC Ufa vs Zenit St. Petersburg - 4:30 PM IST
Saturday, May 8, 2021: Lokomotiv Moscow vs Dynamo Moscow - 7:00 PM IST
Saturday, May 8, 2021: Arsenal Tula vs Rubin Kazan - 9:00 PM IST
Saturday, May 8, 2021: CSKA Moscow vs FC Krasnodar - 9:30 PM IST
Monday, May 10, 2021: Ural Yekaterinburg vs FC Rostov - 7:00 PM IST
Monday, May 10, 2021: Spartak Moscow vs FC Khimki - 9:30 PM IST
Matchday 30
Sunday, May 16, 2021: Rubin Kazan vs Rotor Volgograd - 4:30 PM IST
Sunday, May 16, 2021: FC Ufa vs Arsenal Tula vs Ural Yekaterinburg - 4:30 PM IST
Sunday, May 16, 2021: FC Rostov vs FC Krasnodar - 4:30 PM IST
Sunday, May 16, 2021: FC Khimki vs FC Sochi - 4:30 PM IST
Sunday, May 16, 2021: PFC Tambov vs Zenit St. Petersburg - 4:30 PM IST
Sunday, May 16, 2021: Lokomotiv Moscow vs Ural Yekaterinburg - 4:30 PM IST
Sunday, May 16, 2021: Dynamo Moscow vs CSKA Moscow - 4:30 PM IST
Sunday, May 16, 2021: Akhmat Grozny vs Spartak Moscow vs - 4:30 PM IST
Feature image courtesy: AFP
