Rubin captain Noboa scores against Barcelona (guardian.uk)

If someone would have told you that Zenit, CSKA, Rubin and Spartak would be the top four teams in Russia back in March, it would have been an easy statement to accept. The only part worth debating, is which order would they finish and who would be the team left out of the Champions League.

After Week 23 of Russian Premier League action, the cream has indeed risen to the top of the league. Each club is not only distancing itself from the rest of the domestic field, but setting itself apart in UEFA competitions as well. No matter how differently each of the four clubs have gone about reaching the top, the European spots from Russia look to be going to the same teams as last year.

In the case of Spartak Moscow, it’s been very much a roller coaster ride. After several months of struggling in the middle of the table, the future of manager Valeri Karpin came into constant question and the team looked to be out of attacking options, relying too heavily on Brazilian duo Welliton and Alex. However, Lukoil billionaire and owner Leonid Fedun wasn’t nearly about to let the club’s European hopes vanish without a fight. He signed reinforcements in the form of Aiden McGeady, Nicolas Pareja and the brothers Kombarov during the summer window, and the results have been nearly instantaneous.

After falling 2-0 to ambitious side Terek Grozny, Spartak has now reeled off six straight unbeaten matches including the shutouts of Champions League foes Olympique Marseille and Zilina. The reformed attack, in addition to the emergence of winter signing Ari, has propelled the Meat back into the European discussion.

Ari celebrates his double against Zilina on September 28 (UEFA.com)

Up to the north in Khimki, another Moscow-based club is also flexing its muscle. CSKA Moscow features a new-look offensive attack and a suddenly impenetrable defense. The Army men have not only been scoring at will, but they haven’t allowed a goal in 515 minutes of play. Perfect in their last five with a 12-0 goal spread, Leonid Slutskiy’s side hasn’t missed a beat since the loss of star midfielder Milos Krasic to Juventus. In fact, the team may even be better now.

Another Serbian has taken Krasic’s place in the form of former Manchester United man Zoran Tosic while the striking pair of Seydou Doumbia and Vagner Love have been utterly unstoppable. Doumbia has found the net 7 times in his first 8 matches in Moscow while Vagner Love sits at a more pedestrian 7 goals in 10 matches since returning from Flamengo. Either way, the duo has formed easily the most intimidating and lethal striking force in Russia.

- Vagner scores a fantastic goal in Week 23 against Rostov.

Since the summer transfer window, Zenit St. Petersburg has marched along like clockwork. Luciano Spalletti’s Northern Army not only remains unbeaten in Russia after 21 matches, but are seemingly getting stronger as the season progresses. This is horrendous news for the rest of the league, as Zenit’s advantage over 2nd place is now 6 points with two matches in hand.

The sine-byelo-goluboy have also had no problems finding the back of the net. In five of their past seven matches, the club has scored 3 or more goals, including 13 in the past 8 days. After eradicating Saturn Moscow to a tune of 6-1, the club proceeded to put four past AEK Athens in the Europa League and three more past 5th-place Spartak Nalchik. Leading the way has been none other than a suddenly possessed Aleksandr Kerzhakov, who can’t stop scoring after a dismal first half to the season.

An already stout unit, Bruno Alves has bolstered Zenit’s central defense immensely and has paid dividends,  helping to shut down the new Didier Drogba, Romelu Lukaku from Anderlecht.

€22m defender Bruno Alves has put Zenit head and shoulders above all competition. (fc-zenit.ru)

Last but certainly not least, two-time defending Russian Premier League champions Rubin Kazan have almost quietly had a very impressive season. Besides the fact that manager Kurban Berdiyev has managed to take points off Barcelona – for the third straight time in Champions League play – the Tatars are on pace for another 60 point season. Along with the more established Russian clubs, Rubin showed they were more than willing to splash the cash to improve their squad.

Following the loss of star striker Aleksandr Bukharov and team captain Sergei Semak, Rubin went out and added three stellar pieces to their Champions League puzzle in Obafemi Martins, Carlos Eduardo and Salvatore Bocchetti. Martins and Eduardo have immediately made Rubin as dangerous of an attacking side as they were with Dominguez and Bukharov, while Bocchetti has brought the new element of a mobile, offensive-minded central defender.

Meanwhile, the impressive maturation of new captain Christian Noboa has continued as he has forced his way into the conversation of finest central midfielders in the league. He scored the goal against Barcelona to give Rubin a 1-0 lead and coincidentally, happens to be the Tatars top scorer. But can he lead Rubin to a third straight championship?

Six Players to Watch

6. Kevin Kuranyi, Dinamo Moscow: Although his new club may be all but out of the picture in 9th place, that doesn’t mean the Policemen can’t spoil someone else’s season. With matches against Rubin, CSKA and Spartak all remaining on the calendar, the German-Brazilian Kuranyi (6 goals in 8 RPL matches) can certainly change the landscape in a hurry.

5. Dmitri Kombarov, Spartak Moscow: A very productive scorer from the left wing with Dinamo, Kombarov has brought a new element to Spartak’s attack. Although he is yet to find the net in red, he has seen quite a few glorious opportunities. With most clubs looking to focus on Welliton, Alex and McGeady, Kombarov might be just the man to step up in the closing weeks of the season.

4. Cesar Navas, Rubin Kazan: While the talk of the town in Kazan is devoted to the new offensive additions, the backbone of Berdiyev’s squad is the defense. The 1.96m (6’5″) Spaniard remains the ring leader on the back line and Rubin’s 10 goals allowed is tied for the lowest in the league. He won’t score many goals, but he’s damn good at preventing them.

3. Aleksandr Kerzhakov, Zenit St. Petersburg: After looking out of place and snakebitten at the beginning of the season, the 27-year-old striker has exploded out of a cannon, jumping his season goal total to 13 in just a few weeks. With two hat tricks in 9 days, “Kerza” and his rediscovered scoring touch has made Zenit all the more lethal.

2. Welliton, Spartak Moscow: He leads the Russian Premier League yet again, with 16 goals from just 17 matches. With the ability to score from anywhere on the field with speed or power, the young Brazilian looks to better his 2009 mark of 21 goals as Spartak continues to push for a European place.

1. Vagner Love, CSKA Moscow: He may not play with the flair of Doumbia, the pace of Mark Gonzalez or the raw skill of Tosic, but there’s just no question that when the blue hair flies, Vagner Love delivers when it matters the most. After just two seasons removed of scoring 20 goals for CSKA, Vagner has roared back from his time in Brazil to reclaim his status as the best clutch striker in Russia. With decisive matches remaining against every team in a UEFA place, the Army men will look to him in their title pursuit.

Current Standings (UEFA places 2011-12)

• Zenit St. Petersburg – 53 points (16-5-0)
• Rubin Kazan – 47 points (13-8-2)
• CSKA Moscow – 45 points (14-3-4)
• Spartak Moscow – 36 points (10-6-6)
• Spartak Nalchik - 36 points (10-6-7)

Important Upcoming Matches

2010-10-16: Spartak Moscow @ Dinamo Moscow

2010-10-23: Rubin Kazan @ CSKA Moscow

2010-10-26: Zenit St. Petersburg @ Spartak Moscow