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Everything you need to know about Spartak Moscow

By Russell Hughes

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 23: Players of FC Spartak Moscow celebrate after scoring a goal during the Russian Premier League match between FC Spartak Moscow and FC Anzhi Makhachkala at Otkrytie Arena stadium on September 23, 2017 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Epsilon/Getty Images)
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 23: Players of FC Spartak Moscow celebrate after scoring a goal during the Russian Premier League match between FC Spartak Moscow and FC Anzhi Makhachkala at Otkrytie Arena stadium on September 23, 2017 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Epsilon/Getty Images) /
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Liverpool take on Russian side Spartak Moscow on Tuesday in the Champions League.

The continental competition has a habit of throwing up opposition teams that English fans don’t know much about, and when that happens it’s good to have an inside voice giving the lowdown on their side.

And luckily, the internet has allowed such informed opinion to be easily accessible and read by anyone who has the inclination.

So it is with that in mind that this piece seeks to provide all the information you need to know about Spartak and what dangerous they might pose and any weaknesses they have.

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For a start, Liverpool and the Russian side’s histories are very similar. Both are big clubs, but prior to Moscow winning the league last season they hadn’t for 16 years. They also play in red.

According to a Reddit thread, the team has a few issues that have got in the way of their title defence. The transfer window was poor, the right players weren’t brought in and there appears to be low team moral.

Spartak are also carrying injuries to some of their most important players. Dutch attacker Quincy Promes looks set to miss the game, said Sports Illustrated, while Reddit user footwit said captain Denis Glushakov will miss the game as will attacker Pedro Rocha.

The team will also look to get on the front foot and play attacking football, and as a result of this they average 54% possession from their 11 league games this season – according to WhoScored.com.

Just like Liverpool the team are not great defenders and have conceded 17 and have a habit of not being able to hang on to leads.

Their last league games was against Anzhi Makhachkala, who came from behind to take a 2-1 lead, before being pegged back to 2-2 in the final moments of the game.

Tosno nearly had an even more impressive comeback, as they salvaged a draw despite going 2-0 down as they scored two goals in the last four minutes of the game.

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And so it seems like the game will be high on energy, have moments of attacking brilliance and defensive incompetence. Should be a cracker!

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