2020–21 Russian Premier League
29th season of top-tier football league in Russia
Football league season
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8 August 2020 – 16 May 2021 |
| Champions | Zenit Saint Petersburg |
| Relegated | Rotor Volgograd Tambov (dissolved) |
| Champions League | Zenit Saint Petersburg Spartak Moscow |
| Europa League | Lokomotiv Moscow |
| Europa Conference League | Rubin Kazan Sochi |
| Matches played | 240 |
| Goals scored | 637 (2.65 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Artem Dzyuba (20 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Zenit Saint Petersburg 6–0 Ufa (26 September 2020) Zenit Saint Petersburg 6–0 Rotor Volgograd (24 April 2021) |
| Biggest away win | Krasnodar 0–5 Akhmat Grozny (3 April 2021) |
| Highest scoring | Krasnodar 7–2 Khimki (18 September 2020) |
| Longest winning run | 8 matches Lokomotiv Moscow |
| Longest unbeaten run | 10 matches Khimki |
| Longest winless run | 19 matches Tambov |
| Longest losing run | 11 matches Tambov |
| Highest attendance | 39,793 Zenit Saint Petersburg 6–1 Lokomotiv Moscow (2 May 2021) |
| Lowest attendance | 539 Khimki 2–1 Ufa (27 February 2021) Excluding the games played without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the games played with restricted attendance for the same reason |
| Total attendance | 1,878,441[1] |
| Average attendance | 8,239[1] |
← 2019–20 2021–22 → | |
The 2020–21 Russian Premier League（known as the Tinkoff Russian Premier League, also written as Tinkoff Russian Premier Liga for sponsorship reasons）was the 29th season of the premier football competition in Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the 17th under the current Russian Premier League name.
Teams
As in the previous season, 16 teams are playing in the 2020–21 season. After the 2019–20 season, Orenburg and Krylia Sovetov were relegated to the 2020–21 Russian Football National League. Both return to the second tier after a two-year stay in the top tier. They were replaced by Rotor and Khimki, the winners and runners up of the 2019–20 Russian Football National League. Rotor Volgograd returned to the Premier League after a 16-year absence, while Khimki returned after an 11-year absence.
Venues
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | Rotor | Khimki | Rostov |
|---|---|---|---|
| Krestovsky Stadium | Volgograd Arena | Arena Khimki | Rostov Arena |
| Capacity: 67,800 | Capacity: 45,568 | Capacity: 18,636 | Capacity: 45,000 |
 |  |  |  |
| Spartak Moscow | | Ural Yekaterinburg | |
| Otkritie Arena | Central Stadium | ||
| Capacity: 44,307 | Capacity: 35,696 | ||
 |  | ||
| Krasnodar | Akhmat Grozny | ||
| Krasnodar Stadium | Akhmat-Arena | ||
| Capacity: 34,291 | Capacity: 30,597 | ||
 |  | ||
| CSKA Moscow | Lokomotiv Moscow | ||
| VEB Arena | RZD Arena | ||
| Capacity: 30,457 | Capacity: 27,320 | ||
 |  | ||
| Sochi | Tambov | ||
| Fisht Olympic Stadium | Mordovia Arena | ||
| Capacity: 47,659 | Capacity: 44,442 | ||
 |  | ||
| Arsenal Tula | Dynamo Moscow | Ufa | Rubin Kazan |
| Arsenal Stadium | VTB Arena | Neftyanik Stadium | Ak Bars Arena |
| Capacity: 20,048 | Capacity: 26,319 | Capacity: 15,132 | Capacity: 45,093 |
 |  |  |  |
Personnel and kits
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akhmat Grozny |  Igor Shalimov | Contract expired | 26 July 2020[2] | Off-season | Andrei Talalayev | 26 July 2020[2] | Off-season |
| Khimki | Sergei Yuran | Fired | 1 August 2020[3] | Off-season | Dmitri Gunko | 1 August 2020[4] | Off-season |
| Khimki | Dmitri Gunko | Mutual consent | 21 September 2020[5] | 15th |  Igor Cherevchenko | 25 September 2020[6] | 15th |
| Dynamo | Kirill Novikov | Resigned | 29 September 2020[7] | 9th |  Alyaksandr Kulchy (caretaker) | 29 September 2020 | 9th |
| Ufa | Vadim Evseev | Mutual consent | 7 October 2020[8] | 15th | Rashid Rakhimov | 11 October 2020[9] | 15th |
| Dynamo | Alyaksandr Kulchy (caretaker) | End of role | 14 October 2020 | 6th |  Sandro Schwarz | 14 October 2020[10] | 6th |
| Arsenal | Sergei Podpaly[11] | Fired | 2 November 2020 | 13th |  Dmytro Parfenov | 2 November 2020 | 13th |
| Rotor | Alyaksandr Khatskevich | Fired | 19 March 2021[12] | 13th | Yuri Baturenko | 20 March 2021[13] | 13th |
| CSKA | Viktor Goncharenko | Mutual consent | 22 March 2021[14] | 5th |  Ivica Olić | 23 March 2021[15] | 5th |
| Ufa | Rashid Rakhimov | Resigned | 3 April 2021[16] | 15th | Nikolai Safronidi (caretaker) | 3 April 2021 | 15th |
| Krasnodar | Murad Musayev | Resigned | 3 April 2021[17] | 10th | Viktor Goncharenko | 6 April 2021[18] | 10th |
| Ufa | Nikolai Safronidi (caretaker) | End of role | 9 April 2021 | 15th | Aleksei Stukalov | 9 April 2021[19] | 15th |
Tournament format and regulations
Basic
The 16 teams were playing a round-robin tournament whereby each team plays each one of the other teams twice, once at home and once away. Thus, a total of 240 matches was played, with 30 matches played by each team.[20]
Promotion and relegation
The teams that finish 15th and 16th will be relegated to the FNL 2021–22, while the top 2 in that league will be promoted to the 2021–22 season.[20]
The 13th and 14th Premier League teams will play the 4th and 3rd FNL 2020–21 teams respectively in two (home-and-away) playoff games with the winners securing Premier League spots for the 2021–22 season. In case one of the Premier League teams that finish 13th and 14th will not pass licensing for the 2021–22 Premier League season, the other Premier League club will remain in the league, and the 3rd and 4th FNL teams will play each other in a two-game playoff for the remaining spot. In case one of the FNL teams that finish 3rd and 4th will not pass licensing for the 2021–22 Premier League season, the team that finished Premier League in 13th place will remain in the league, and the team that finished 14th will play the FNL team that passed licensing in a two-game playoff, with the winner securing the Premier League spot. In case only two of the clubs otherwise eligible for the playoffs pass licensing for the 2020–21 season, the playoffs will not be held and the clubs that passed licensing will get the Premier League spots. In case any teams otherwise eligible for the 2021–22 Premier League (including the top 2 2020–21 FNL clubs) will not pass licensing or will be unable to participate in the season for any other reason, the spots will be passed on to the teams that lost in the playoffs, in order of their 2020–21 league position, with the Premier League positions considered higher than FNL positions (for example, if 13th Premier League team and 3rd FNL team lose in the playoffs, the spot will go to the 13th Premier League team). If, after following these procedures, there are still 2021–22 Premier League spots available (in case 3 or more teams otherwise qualified are unable to participate), the remaining replacements will be chosen by the Russian Football Union with agreement of the Premier League and FNL.[20]
2nd and 4th FNL teams (FC Orenburg and FC Alania Vladikavkaz) failed licensing for the 2021–22 Premier League season (due to lack of acceptable stadium), their appeal was denied on 12 May 2021.[21] On 15 May 2021, Russian Football Union confirmed that the relegation playoffs will not be held.[22] RFU also amended the playoff regulations accordingly.[23] If the original version of the regulations was followed to the letter, FC Nizhny Novgorod would have faced FC Arsenal Tula in a home-and-away playoff series, and then the loser of the series would be promoted into the Premier League anyway, rendering the playoffs meaningless.
Season events
On 13 September 2020, the league cancelled the game between FC Rotor Volgograd and FC Krasnodar due to more than 7 positive COVID-19 tests among the Rotor players and staff.[24] On 16 September 2020, Russian Football Union assigned a 3–0 victory to Krasnodar.[25] On 18 September 2020, the league cancelled the game between FC Rostov and Rotor originally scheduled for 19 September due to continuing positive virus tests at Rotor.[26] On 22 September 2020, Russian Football Union assigned a 3–0 victory to Rostov.[27]
League table
| Pos | Team
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zenit Saint Petersburg (C) | 30 | 19 | 8 | 3 | 76 | 26 | +50 | 65 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Spartak Moscow | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 56 | 37 | +19 | 57 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 3 | Lokomotiv Moscow | 30 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 45 | 35 | +10 | 56 | Qualification for the Europa League group stage[a] |
| 4 | Rubin Kazan | 30 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 42 | 33 | +9 | 53[b] | Qualification for the Europa Conference League third qualifying round |
| 5 | Sochi | 30 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 49 | 33 | +16 | 53[b] | Qualification for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round |
| 6 | CSKA Moscow | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 51 | 33 | +18 | 50[c] | |
| 7 | Dynamo Moscow | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 50[c] | |
| 8 | Khimki | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 35 | 39 | −4 | 45 | |
| 9 | Rostov | 30 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 37 | 35 | +2 | 43 | |
| 10 | Krasnodar | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 52 | 45 | +7 | 41 | |
| 11 | Akhmat Grozny | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 36 | 38 | −2 | 40 | |
| 12 | Ural Yekaterinburg | 30 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 26 | 36 | −10 | 34 | |
| 13 | Ufa | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 26 | 46 | −20 | 25 | |
| 14 | Arsenal Tula | 30 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 28 | 51 | −23 | 23 | |
| 15 | Rotor Volgograd (R) | 30 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 15 | 52 | −37 | 22 | Relegation to Football National League |
| 16 | Tambov (D) | 30 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 19 | 65 | −46 | 13 | Dissolved after the season[d] |
Source: Premier Liga
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head matches won; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Head-to-head goals scored; 6) Matches won; 7) Goal difference; 8) Goals scored; 9) Play-off.
(C) Champions; (D) Disqualified; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head matches won; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Head-to-head goals scored; 6) Matches won; 7) Goal difference; 8) Goals scored; 9) Play-off.
(C) Champions; (D) Disqualified; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ FC Lokomotiv Moscow qualified for the Europa League group stage by winning the 2020–21 Russian Cup. The Europa Conference League spot awarded to the third-placed team is passed to fourth-placed team, and the spot awarded to the fourth-placed team is passed to fifth-placed team.
- ^ a b Head-to-head points: Rubin 3, Sochi 3. Overall matches won: Rubin 16, Sochi 15.
- ^ a b Head-to-head points: CSKA 3, Dynamo 3. Head-to-head goal difference: CSKA +1, Dynamo -1.
- ^ On 19 May 2021, FC Tambov announced that most of the staff and players were released from their contracts and the club began the process of liquidation.[28]
Results
| Home \ Away | AKH | ARS | CSK | DYN | KHI | KRA | LOK | ROS | ROT | RUB | SOC | SPA | TAM | UFA | URA | ZEN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akhmat Grozny | — | 2–0 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| Arsenal Tula | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| CSKA Moscow | 2–0 | 5–1 | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 |
| Dynamo Moscow | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | — | 0–1 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 |
| Khimki | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Krasnodar | 0–5 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 7–2 | — | 5–0 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | — | 4–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Rostov | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 4–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–0 | — | 3–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Rotor Volgograd | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 0–4 | — | 1–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| Rubin Kazan | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Sochi | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 3–2 | — | 1–0 | 5–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Spartak Moscow | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 6–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | — | 5–1 | 0–3 | 5–1 | 1–1 |
| Tambov | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–4 | 2–5 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–5 |
| Ufa | 3–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 4–0 | — | 1–2 | 0–0 |
| Ural Yekaterinburg | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | — | 1–1 |
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 6–1 | 2–2 | 6–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 6–0 | 5–1 | — |
Updated to match(es) played on 16 May 2021. Source: Russian Premier League
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.
Positions by round
The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included to the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards.
Updated to match(es) played on 16 May 2021. Source: https://eng.premierliga.ru/tournaments/championship/tournament-table/
Season statistics
Top goalscorers
- As of matches played on 16 May 2021.[29]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Artem Dzyuba | Zenit Saint Petersburg | 20 |
| 2 |  Sardar Azmoun | Zenit Saint Petersburg | 19 |
| 3 |  Jordan Larsson | Spartak Moscow | 15 |
| 4 |  Đorđe Despotović | Rubin Kazan | 14 |
| Aleksandr Sobolev | Spartak Moscow | ||
| 6 |  Christian Noboa | Sochi | 12 |
| 7 | Nikola Vlašić | CSKA Moscow | 11 |
| 8 | Marcus Berg | Krasnodar | 9 |
| Vladimir Ilyin | Akhmat Grozny | ||
 Grzegorz Krychowiak | Lokomotiv Moscow | ||
 Ezequiel Ponce | Spartak Moscow | ||
| Anton Zabolotny | Sochi |
Season awards
Russian Football Union awards
On 15 July 2021, Russian Football Union named its list of 33 top players:[30]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other awards announced by RFU on the same day included:
- Best player: Sardar Azmoun (Zenit)
- Best coach: Sergei Semak (Zenit)
- Best team: FC Zenit Saint Petersburg
- Hope award (Best Under-21 player): Arsen Zakharyan (Dynamo)
- For contribution to football development: Yevgeni Giner (CSKA)
Russian Premier League awards
- Player of the season: Sardar Azmoun (Zenit)[31]
- Coach of the season: Sergei Semak (Zenit)
- Goal of the season: Denis Makarov (Rubin 2–1 Zenit, 8 March 2021)
- Young player of the season: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Rubin)
- Goalkeeper of the season: Guilherme (Lokomotiv)
References
- ^ a b "League statistics" (in Russian). Russian Premier League. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Андрей Талалаев назначен главным тренером ФК "Ахмат"" (in Russian). FC Akhmat Grozny. 26 July 2020.
- ^ "СЕРГЕЙ ЮРАН ПОКИДАЕТ "ХИМКИ"" (in Russian). FC Khimki. 1 August 2020.
- ^ "ДМИТРИЙ ГУНЬКО - ГЛАВНЫЙ ТРЕНЕР "ХИМОК"" (in Russian). FC Khimki. 1 August 2020.
- ^ ""ХИМКИ" ПРЕКРАЩАЮТ СОТРУДНИЧЕСТВО С ДМИТРИЕМ ГУНЬКО ПО ОБОЮДНОМУ СОГЛАСИЮ" (in Russian). FC Khimki. 21 September 2020.
- ^ "ИГОРЬ ЧЕРЕВЧЕНКО ВОЗГЛАВИЛ "ХИМКИ"" (in Russian). FC Khimki. 25 September 2020.
- ^ "Руководство "Динамо" приняло отставку Кирилла Новикова" (in Russian). FC Dynamo Moscow. 29 September 2020.
- ^ "Вадим Евсеев покидает пост главного тренера" (in Russian). FC Ufa. 7 October 2020.
- ^ "Рашид Рахимов – главный тренер ФК Уфа!". fcufa.pro/ (in Russian). FC Ufa. 11 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ "Сандро Шварц — новый главный тренер футбольного клуба "Динамо" Москва". fcdynamo.ru/ (in Russian). FC Dynamo Moscow. 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "ДМИТРИЙ ПАРФЕНОВ – ГЛАВНЫЙ ТРЕНЕР "АРСЕНАЛА"" [Dmytro Parfenov is the head coach of Arsenal] (in Russian). FC Arsenal Tula. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "АЛЕКСАНДР ХАЦКЕВИЧ ПОКИДАЕТ ПОСТ ГЛАВНОГО ТРЕНЕРА РОТОРА". rotor-vlg.com (in Russian). FC Rotor Volgograd. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ "ГЛАВНЫМ ТРЕНЕРОМ "РОТОРА" НАЗНАЧЕН ЮРИЙ БАТУРЕНКО". rotor-vlg.com (in Russian). FC Rotor Volgograd. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ "Виктор Ганчаренко покинул пост главного тренера ПФК ЦСКА". pfc-cska.com/ (in Russian). PFC CSKA Moscow. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Ивица Олич — главный тренер ПФК ЦСКА!". pfc-cska.com/ (in Russian). PFC CSKA Moscow. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ "Рашид Рахимов покидает "Уфу"" (in Russian). FC ufaw. 3 April 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ "Мурад Мусаев: "Сегодня был мой последний матч во главе "Краснодара"" (in Russian). Sport Express. 3 April 2021.
- ^ "ВИКТОР ГАНЧАРЕНКО СТАЛ ГЛАВНЫМ ТРЕНЕРОМ КРАСНОДАРА". fckrasnodar.ru/ (in Russian). FC Krasnodar. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ "Алексей Стукалов возглавил футбольный клуб "Уфа"!". fcufa.pro/ (in Russian). FC Ufa. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- ^ a b c "Регламент Тинькофф Российской Премьер-Лиги сезона 2020/21" [Tinkoff Russian Premier League 2020–21 regulations] (PDF) (in Russian). Russian Premier League. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ ""Оренбург" готов обратиться в CAS при недопуске в РПЛ в виде исключения" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 12 May 2021.
- ^ "Стыковых матчей РПЛ-ФНЛ не будет. «Оренбург» и «Алания» не получили лицензии, РФС не сделал для них исключения" (in Russian). Sports.ru. 15 May 2021.
- ^ "Итоги Бюро Исполкома РФС" (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 15 May 2021.
- ^ "Матч "Ротор" – "Краснодар" не состоится" (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 13 September 2020.
- ^ "Итоги Контрольно-дисциплинарного комитета РФС" (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 16 September 2020.
- ^ "Матч "Ростов" – "Ротор" не состоится" (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 18 September 2020.
- ^ "Итоги КДК РФС" (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 22 September 2020.
- ^ "В "Тамбове" сообщили, что футбольный клуб фактически прекратил существование" (in Russian). TASS. 19 May 2021.
- ^ "Best Scorers". Russian Premier League. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ "Итоги Исполкома РФС" (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 15 July 2021.
- ^ "All individual award winners for RPL 2020/21 season". Russian Premier League. 26 May 2021.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Russian Premier League season 2020-21.
- Official website
