Russia Premier League Table
Demarcus Smith
The last round of fixtures was played in December before the league went on a three-month winter break. Shakhtar Donetsk were top of the league table with 47 points from 18 games, two points ahead of rivals Dynamo Kyiv.
The first edition of the Premier Liga took place in 2001 when the first league winner was Spartak Moscow. The teams are placed in 1 table, with a promotion and relegation system for the best and worst-performing teams. The last 2 teams are relegated to the 1. Liga. Each team plays overall 240 games in one season and the winner is the team that has the most points at the end of the season.
The St. Petersburg club has had a rocky start to the season and sits third in the Russian table after seven league games, six points behind leader CSKA Moscow. Zenit visits CSKA on Saturday in a crucial clash that will take place without Villas-Boas on the touchline after he was banned by the Russian Football Union for striking fourth official Ivan Saraev during a defeat to Krylya Sovetov Samara last month.
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