MOSCOW, April 26 (R-Sport) - CSKA Moscow's title credentials face a massive examination this weekend with a testing away trip to Rubin Kazan in the Russian football Premier League.
With Zenit St. Petersburg breathing down their neck at the top of the table, CSKA know that any slip-up could dramatically cut their four-point lead, sending the title race down to the wire.
CSKA coach Leonid Slutsky welcomes Keisuke Honda back into the starting lineup after the Japanese midfielder played the second half of last week's game against Spartak in the Moscow derby. But injury doubts linger over Swedish midfielder Rasmus Elm, Latvia's Aleksandrs Cauna and Ivorian forward Seydou Doumbia.
Zenit, meanwhile, face an equally difficult challenge, with a trip to FC Kuban, who remain unbeaten in seven games with draws in their last five. The possible absence of attacking duo Alexander Kerzhakov and Brazil star Hulk, both through hip injuries, blunts the teeth of the reigning champions.
The other key battle of the weekend sees fourth-placed Spartak Moscow try to reel in Guus Hiddink's Anzhi Makhachkala, who are six points ahead in third.
Spartak coach Valery Karpin, who has a three-match touchline ban after confronting the referee following the controversial 2-2 draw with CSKA, is without American-Armenian striker Yura Movsisyan but welcomes back Nigerian forward Emmanuel Emenike and Georgian midfielder Jano Ananidze.
At Luzhniki stadium on Sunday, both teams look to bounce back from games in which their opponents scored in the last minutes to rescue draws. A Kevin Kuranyi header gave Dynamo Moscow a 3-3 draw against Anzhi, while Alan Dzagoev's stoppage-time penalty did the trick for CSKA.
In other games, Dynamo look odds-on to extend an unbeaten run to 12 games at home to lowly Mordovia Saransk, while Slaven Bilic knows defeat at home to FC Rostov could spell the end of his reign at Lokomotiv Moscow, who are winless in their last seven matches.
Elsewhere, Terek Grozny look to halt a backward slide against Amkar Perm and FC Volga attempt to leave the relegation playoff zone by beating fellow strugglers Krylya Sovetov.
Rock-bottom Alania Vladikavkaz host FC Krasnodar in the final game of the round on Monday.
