MOSCOW - Russian Premier League table-toppers Spartak Moscow hope to bounce back from last week's 1-0 home defeat to minnows Ufa when they visit Zenit St Petersburg on Sunday.
Spartak Moscow manager Massimo Carrera refused to criticise his team for suffering their first loss of the season to minnows Ufa
Despite last weekend's shock, Spartak still have a one-point lead at the top over second-placed reigning champions CSKA, while Zenit sit third, two points further back.
But a trip to Saint Petersburg will unlikely be an easy outing for the nine-time former champions, who won their last title in 2001.
Spartak manager Massimo Carrera refused to criticise his team for suffering their first loss of the season.
"It was a very difficult game as Ufa played a defensive style football," he said. "We also had scoring chances and the result could have been different. But sometimes you lose when you don't deserve a defeat.
"I don't have any reproaches for my men. They played with a good spirit and fought for the win up to the very end. Hopefully our efforts will be rewarded in the next match."
Last weekend, Zenit gave up a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Anzhi Makhachkala but coach Mircea Lucescu insisted that slip-up is behind them.
CSKA will try to bounce back from their 1-0 Champions League home defeat at the hands of Tottenham when they visit last season's runners-up Rostov, also on Sunday.
"We wanted to perform our top football in the match with Tottenham," CSKA midfielder Zoran Tosic said. "Unfortunately we failed to achieve a positive result.
"But life goes on and now we must prepare for the match at Rostov the best possible way. Our main rivals (Spartak and Zenit) will clash head-to-head. I believe we can capitalize on that."
Fixtures (all times GMT)
Saturday
Tomsk v Ural Yeakaterinburg (0900), Samara v Anzhi Makhachkala (1130), Lokomotiv Moscow v Arsenal Tula (1400), Terek Grozny v Orenburg (1630)
Sunday
Ufa v Amkar Perm (1100), Zenit St Petersburg v Spartak Moscow (1330), Rostov v CSKA Moscow (1600), Krasnodar v Rubin Kazan (1600)