MOSCOW, Oct 13 — Russia’s Premier League co-leaders Spartak Moscow hope to bounce back from two consecutive league defeats when they take on last season’s surprise runners-up Rostov on Saturday.

Spartak top the league table having won more matches this season, with Zenit Saint Petersburg, the league’s only unbeaten side, in second, level on points.

Reigning champions CSKA Moscow are a point behind in third after sliding to a 2-0 defeat at fourth-placed Rostov. 

Spartak manager Massimo Carrera, who blamed his team’s defeat at St Petersburg on a lapse of concentration and lack of creativity in attack, told his men to put the slip-up behind them.

"After the match at Saint Petersburg we had some time to rest and to do our homework,” Carrera said. 

"We need to learn from the mistakes that we’ve made in our previous encounter to avoid them in the future. 

"Now, we need to focus on the match with Rostov. A win on Saturday will maintain our lead in the league.”

Meanwhile, Zenit, fresh from their win over Spartak, which allowed them to join the Muscovites at the top of the table, are set to extend their winning ways when they visit lowly Ural Yekaterinburg on Sunday.

"It was an amazing encounter,” Zenit striker Artem Dzyuba told his club’s official site. 

"I’d like to play as many matches of such an importance and heat of emotions as possible.

"Now, we need keep our fighting spirit for the match at Yekaterinburg. 

"Ural will try to show their best against one of the league leaders in front of their home crowd.”

The champions CSKA, who have missed a chance to move top at Rostov, will try to boost their morale ahead of the crucial Champions League match with the French side Monaco when they take on Ufa tomorrow.

However, the Red Army side manager Leonid Slutsky has warned his men against taking ninth-placed Ufa lightly.

"I expect a tough match as Ufa are on the rise, they are unbeaten in their last five league matches,” he said.

"But, I believe we’re capable of producing quality football despite our personnel problems.”

Tomorrow, CSKA will be without Finland international Roman Eremenko, who was last week suspended by UEFA for 30 days for reasons yet to be revealed but which are rumoured to be to do with the use of a tobacco substitute. 

Meanwhile, their first-choice goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, playmaker Alan Dzagoev and midfielder Alexander Golovin, who all missed Russia's friendly with Costa Rica through injuries, remain uncertain for Ufa encounter.

Fixtures (all times GMT)

Tomorrow

CSKA Moscow v Ufa (1630)

Saturday

Amkar Perm v Lokomotiv Moscow (1130), 

Rubin Kazan v Samara (1400), 

Spartak Moscow v Rostov (1630)

Sunday

Ural Yekaterinburg v Zenit St Petersburg (1100), 

Orenburg v Tomsk (1330), 

Arsenal Tula v Krasnodar (1600)

Monday 

Anzhi Makhachkala v Terek Grozny (1630). — AFP