Spartak Moscow defender Aleksandr Djiku has pointed to Krasnodar as the biggest obstacle in the fight for the Russian championship. In his view, Krasnodar are slightly better than Zenit at the moment. He called them the most cohesive team in the entire league right now. Zenit has been the standard-setter in Russian football for the last several seasons, so placing Krasnodar above them is a strong statement. Djiku named the club from the south as the main rival for Spartak in the title race. Coming from a player who faces these opponents head-on every week, the assessment carries more weight than a pundit's verdict. Spartak will still have to get past both Zenit and Krasnodar if the club wants the trophy. The comments show that the players themselves are already watching the table and thinking about the end of the season.