The Bulls are in a transition period, the Leopards are strengthening their squad

FC Krasnodar and PFC Sochi are starting to strengthen towards the spring part of the season. VC Dynamo entered a losing streak. “MK in Kuban” is about the main sporting events in the Krasnodar region.

Point amplified

Rumors continue to circulate around the bulls. According to media reports, the club wants to sign two players in the winter transfer window. Journalists report that negotiations with potential newcomers are already underway. The Bulls are looking for a midfield player who can play as a number eight, as well as a right winger.

Krasnodar head coach Vladimir Ivich doesn’t particularly want to talk about transfer plans for the winter, comments on them at length, but generally confirms the journalists’ assumptions.

— We have a transition period. We will look to strengthen another two or three positions. First of all, we must have a good rest, and then start working again,” the coach said.

A number of media outlets report that the City have already agreed on the transfer of defensive midfielder Kevin Castaño from the Mexican club Cruz Azul. In the near future, the 23-year-old Colombian player will sign a contract with the Black and Greens.

In the current season of the Mexican championship, the football player took part in thirteen matches, in which he scored one assist. Castaño’s current contract with FC Cruz Azul runs until the summer of 2027. The authoritative portal Transfermarkt estimates the player’s market value at 1.8 million euros. The footballer played seven matches for the Colombian national team.

Recently, football agent Pierre Fernandez, who represents the interests of Krasnodar midfielder Kevin Lenini, said that they are trying to find a new club for the football player.

“Now we are trying to find a new club for him. I hope that after the break Lenini will not be in Krasnodar,” Fernandez said.

For Krasnodar, Lenini played in fifteen matches this season, in which he scored one goal and gave one assist.

Earlier, the general director of the Paris Nizhny Novgorod club, David Melik-Guseinov, said that Nizhny Novgorod residents are interested in the Krasnodar midfielder. According to a club functionary, management evaluates the potential of players in both Russian and foreign teams.

Lenini moved to Krasnodar from the Portuguese Chaves. The midfielder signed a contract with the Black and Greens until the end of June 2025.

They are looking at the champion players

There are transfer rumors swirling around Leopards. Thus, a number of media reported that Sochi would terminate the contract with striker Ivan Ignatiev. Although there is no official information confirming this, the decision to part ways with the 24-year-old forward looks quite logical. Of the eighteen matches of the Russian championship, Ignatiev played twelve (started five times), in which he scored only two goals (one from the penalty spot) and gave one assist.

Football agent Dmitry Selyuk believes that the Sochi striker needs to move to a weaker championship.

— Ignatiev went to all the teams, but I advise him to go to a weak championship and start scoring. It is important for him to regain his confidence. When this happens, he can return. Now it turns out that this is a wounded elk. After all, he is pushed from team to team not because of his football qualities, but simply to receive money,” Selyuk said.

Ignatiev’s agent Alan Aguzarov confirmed rumors about the possible departure of the striker.

— There is a high probability that the contract with Sochi will be terminated by mutual agreement this winter. There is a certain interest in Ignatiev from Greece, from Cyprus,” said Aguzarov.

Ignatiev moved to the Leopards in June 2023. Before that, he played for Krasnodar, Rubin Kazan, Krylya Sovetov Samara and Lokomotiv Moscow. The footballer is a graduate of the Krasnodar academy, which he transferred to in 2012.

In March 2019, there was a conflict between Ignatiev and the “bulls” over salary. The football player was promised to increase it from 350 thousand rubles per month to 750 thousand rubles. But this seemed to him not enough. As a result of this conflict, the player was expelled from the main team and transferred to the farm club. This situation lasted for about a month. In 2020, Ignatiev moved to Rubin, signing a four-year contract. But as a result, he was first loaned to Krylya Sovetov, and then the agreement with him was terminated. According to Transfermarkt, the footballer is now valued at eight hundred thousand euros. Journalists also report that in addition to Ignatiev, Georgiy Melkadze and Luka Djordjevic may leave Sochi in the current transfer window.

The media also report that two players from St. Petersburg Zenit – Alexander Erokhin and Dmitry Chistyakov – will move to Sochi this winter. 29-year-old midfielder Alexey Sutormin can also join them, but the head coach of the St. Petersburg team, Sergei Semak, is against his transfer. The mentor is interested in the midfielder as a rotation player. Even if only Erokhin and Chistyakov move to Sochi, this will be an excellent reinforcement for Roberto Morena’s team, which is in last place.

They lose both at home and away

Women’s volleyball Dynamo continues to play in the Super League. At the end of November, as part of the eighth round, the Krasnodar team met away with teammates from Moscow. This game was the tenth of the season, where Pavel Zabuslaev’s team played five sets.

In this meeting, Valeria Shevchuk returned from injury. She won twenty-one goals in attack alone. She received almost perfectly and helped the team collect points on the block.

Zabuslaev’s team won the first set with a two-point advantage. Then Konstantin Ushakov’s team confidently won two games. But in the fourth, Krasnodar again celebrated victory.

In the tiebreaker they immediately took the lead – 2:0 – until the score was seven. Then the Muscovites seized the initiative. The Krasnodar team did not give up and lost three goals, but Anastasia Zhukova’s ace restored hope – 10: 11. The result was the defeat of Zabuslaev’s team – 3: 2 (23: 25, 25: 16, 25: 19, 21: 25, 15: 12). It is noteworthy that before this, the last time Dynamo Krasnodar took tournament points was in Moscow in February 2015.

In the ninth round, Zabuslaev’s team went to Kaliningrad to play against the local Lokomotiv. This was the eleventh official match with the hosts of the Yantarny Sports Palace. By the count of “fifteen” the fate of the first and third games was decided. The main reason for the failure was Dynamo’s actions in attack. Diagonal Maria Bogovskaya, Maria Vorobyova, Alisa Glushchenko implemented two out of twenty-six attacks. On the contrary, the rivals, a resident of Krasnodar and former Dynamo player Irina Filishtinskaya, did her best to ensure that the Lokomotiv forwards scored a lot. The opponent carried out almost half of his attacks, achieving an almost two-fold advantage in this element of the game. Lokomotiv was also successful on the block.

In this game, dynamic players Alisa Glushchenko and Svetlana Masaleva returned to the court after a long pause. Both volleyball players, who missed games for medical reasons, still look little like themselves in the game. As a result, Dynamo lost outright – 3: 0 (25: 14, 25: 18, 25: 18).

The next game was in Saratov – away to Proton. In each of the three games of the match, Dynamo led the score. But the opponent kept correcting the situation. In the second game, on the serve of setter Ekaterina Sinitsina, the Krasnodar players earned a four-goal head start – 13:9. Then they led – 17:15 and 19:18, but lost in the end.

In the third game, Dynamo became the leader after Shevchuk’s ace —— 12:11. The game this time was turned around by a successful video challenge from Volzhanka coach Yuri Marichev. He saw the Dynamo players touching the net when blocking. So Proton-Saratov became the leader – 13:12. Victoria Bobrova’s appearance on serve forced Dynamo to take risks in attack. The result is 12:17 and a direct replacement of the Krasnodar binder. An ace by Polina Belikova put an end to the dispute with the bronze medalist of the national championship – 13: 19. Proton took the remaining three points, almost without making a mistake, again losing to Dynamo – 3: 0 (25: 21, 25: 21, 25: 19 ).

In the eleventh round of the Super League, Zabuslaev’s team hosted Dynamo-Metar at home. In the first game, the Chelyabinsk team led – 8: 1, but after Maria Bogovskaya’s attack the score became 8: 11. Then setter Anastasia Azanova scored, but Anastasia Zhukova did not – 9: 15. The Krasnodar coaching staff changed the arrangement and composition, made direct replacements of the setter and finishers, but these measures did not bring any effect in the game. Everyone made mistakes, even the leaders. With the score 21:23 in the third game, captain Yulia Podskalnaya broke her serve. The most productive player of the season, Maria Bogovskaya, attacked the ball into the stands. Alisa Glushchenko, who missed a lot due to a knee injury, landed unsuccessfully in literally her very first attack. It was in the first batch. The ball went out of bounds. Diagonal was forced to leave the site with the help of doctors. As a result, Krasnodar lost again – 0: 3 (14: 25, 16: 25, 20: 25).

The match with one of the most titled women’s volleyball clubs in Russia, Dynamo-Ak Bars, also did not bring success. The meeting took place in Kazan, at the St. Petersburg volleyball center.

Kazan was also successful here, converting every second attack. All that the opponent allowed was an equal fight in the second set. After a mistake by the home team in defense, Krasnodar were in the lead – 6: 5. Shevchuk hit the floor – 14: 12. Then Ekaterina Enina came out to serve and Kazan took two breaks – 14: 17. Krasnodar bounced back – Shevchuk made two aces – 17: 17. Serve Anastasia Anufrienko pushed Dynamo’s attack away from the net. As a result, the opponent decided the second game by blocking, stopping Zhukova and Shevchuk with the score 20:22. Defeat again – 3:0 (25:18, 25:20, 25:18).

The Dynamo match in the thirteenth round of the Russian Championship was the last in 2023 for the team and took place in Krasnodar against Leningradka. In the first game, Zabuslaev’s team did not give their opponent a chance. Dynamo received better, served aggressively, and was successful in attack. Leningradka was looking for the right combination of players, rotating the squad and releasing twelve volleyball players onto the court. After two attacks by Shevchuk, Dynamo was in the lead with a score of 17:11. Two successful blocks performed by Olga Solovyova and Shevchuk cleared up all questions – 22:17.

In the second game, two consecutive successful video reviews by Leningradka head coach Alexander Kashin brought his team into the lead. Shevchuk suffered a severe elbow bruise while playing defense. “Leningradka” equalized the score in the games, deciding the outcome of the second set long before its end. After Anastasia Garelik’s attack, the guests’ lead became double-digit – 18:8.

In the third game, the Dynamo team led 5:3, and then regained the lead twice. After Zhukova’s attack and Solovyova’s block – 8: 7. A series of successful attacks by Zhukova and Anastasia Chernova’s error – 14: 12. The return of this finisher to serve ultimately changed the course of the game in the game. Leningradka won five break goals and led with a score of 18:14. “Dynamo” twice reduced this difference to two points, but Yulia Kutyukova and twice Chernova did not flinch: 20: 17, 21: 18, 23: 18.

In the fourth game, Leningradka led with a score of 6:5 after Kutyukova’s attack, and then achieved a six-goal difference. The Dynamo team found the strength to return to the game – 13:15. The key episode of this game was Garelick’s return to the court. Her attack stopped Dynamo’s momentum – 18:13. As a result, Krasnodar ended the year with a defeat – 1:3 (25:17, 13:25, 20:25, 16:25).

Based on the results of thirteen rounds, Zabuslaev’s team was in ninth place. The team has thirteen points. Dynamo’s losing streak was eight matches.