Oleg Shatov admits Zenit St Petersburg are determined to beat Rubin Kazan

Zenit St Petersburg star Oleg Shatov has indicated that team are eager to secure a victory over Rubin Kazan during their final home game of the calendar year. The Russian heavyweights are currently leading their league standings with a two-point gap over Krasnodar and they have the opportunity to maintain the advantage against a defensively-minded Kazan this weekend.

Speaking to reporters, Shatov highlighted that the team want to play with full dedication for the club’s supporters with the weekend game being the final one before the long winter break. However, the midfielder acknowledges that the club have a tricky contest against Kazan who have drawn 10 of their 16 league matches and they cannot expect an easy ride over the weekend.

He said: “Everyone can see that the team has its own style and signature way of playing. They play defensively, but aggressively. Rubin doesn’t leave much space between their lines. Their matches often end 1-0 or 1-1. They do not concede many, but do not score a lot either. We must build on our game and play with full dedication to be sure to win at our stadium for the fans at the final home game at the end of 2018.”

Zenit have not won the Russian top-flight title since the 2014/15 season and they could only muster a fifth-place finish during the previous campaign. However, the current campaign has fared much differently for the Saint Petersburg outfit and they have remained at the top of the standings in every match day since the beginning of the season.

As such, they appear on course to secure the title for the moment but things could pave differently once the teams return from the lengthy international break. Meanwhile, Zenit have equally fared impressively in the Europa League and they have already progressed to the knockouts with the top position assured.

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