24.08.2018 12:38 h

Russian leaders Zenit bid to maintain perfect start against Ufa

Russian Premier League table-toppers Zenit Saint Petersburg switch their focus back to domestic action after their midweek Europa League duties, as they look to maintain their perfect start to the campaign against Ufa on Sunday.

Zenit battled back from a goal down to beat Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Norwegian side Molde 3-1 on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League play-off tie.

That took their total number of goals scored in the last week to 15, and Zenit also have a two-point lead over Spartak Moscow at the top of the Russian league after four games.

"We're happy with the result although we failed to keep a clean sheet at home," Zenit head coach Sergei Semak, who was in charge at Ufa last season, told Russian TV after the meeting with Molde.

"Now we need to switch our focus back to the domestic league, as the title race is tight and every mistake may turn out to be costly."

For Ufa, from 1,400 kilometres east of Moscow in Bashkortostan, this match falls in between the two legs of their Europa League play-off against Rangers.

They lost 1-0 to Steven Gerrard's side in Scotland on Thursday, leaving them with a lot of work to do in the return if they are to turn the tie around.

Elsewhere in Russia this weekend, Spartak face Dynamo in a Moscow derby on Saturday.

Spartak, still reeling from losing to PAOK of Greece in the Champions League third qualifying round, are seeking revenge for a 1-0 defeat to Dynamo in May that dashed their hopes of automatic qualification for Europe's elite club competition.

"Last week we got all three points at Krasnodar even though we failed to play our best football," Spartak coach Massimo Carrera told club media.

"Hopefully, we will play higher quality football in front of our home crowd against Dynamo."

Reigning champions Lokomotiv Moscow take on strugglers Anzhi Makhachkala on Sunday, fresh from scoring their first goal of the new campaign in a 1-0 win at Samara last time out.

"I'm confident that it will boost our morale a great deal," Lokomotiv coach Yury Syomin said of that result.

Fixtures (all times GMT)