Spartak Moscow’s Brazilian Alex (pictured left) retained the lead in the FTBL ranking of midfielders in the Russian Premier League after the 29th round, but to end the season at the top, he will need a win against Zenit St. Petersburg in the last game of the season.

Though Alex now leads by approximately 6 rating points over Zenit’s Konstantin Zyryanov, his plank to beat against Zenit will be 11.93 rating points higher than Zyryanov’s, which effectively means the Russian international is the “shadow” leader. In case of a draw, Zyryanov will end the season as the top midfielder.

In this case, the individual characteristics of each player will decide a great deal: Alex scores more often, while Zyryanov’s last goal dates back to September, against Rostov. In any case, the end promises to be full of drama, unless the coaches at Spartak decide to rest their best players in a game without consequences in league standings.