The current Dynamo coach against the former. Karpin plays with Cherchesov's Akhmat

Dynamo and Akhmat enter Sunday's match next door in the league table. Both teams have 15 points, with identical records in wins (4), draws (3), and losses (4), and their goal difference speaks for itself: both teams are +1.

Stanislav Cherchesov took over at Akhmat relatively recently, but has accomplished a lot in 12 matches. His team has compiled an impressive seven-game unbeaten streak in the Russian Premier League and climbed from the bottom of the table straight into the group of strong mid-table teams.

On the eve of the meeting, Stanislav Salamovich was asked whether the game against his former club would be special or crucial for him, to which he responded rather reservedly: "For what reason? My former team? My former team, Dynamo Dresden, Spartak, Terek, and Amkar. All matches are crucial; each team has its own goals." However, Cherchesov will surely feel a slight thrill when he steps onto the VTB Arena pitch, even though he never managed Dynamo at this stadium—the club moved there after his departure.

Longtime fans will remember well the spring of 2014, when Stanislav Cherchesov, then managing Amkar Perm, was invited to coach Dynamo. Before signing with the White-Blues, Cherchesov held talks with Spartak and was close to a deal, but the deal fell through at the last minute. Incidentally, the Red-Whites were looking for a replacement for Valeri Karpin, whom they had parted ways with the day before.

After taking charge of Dynamo, Cherchesov immediately secured a major away win over Volga Nizhny Novgorod (5-0), helped Dynamo finish in fourth place, and, most importantly, led the team into European competition, where the following season, the White-Blues steamrolled their opponents: winning two qualifying rounds, winning six of six in the Europa League group stage, winning a convincing 3-1 home victory against Anderlecht, and reaching the round of 16, where they lost to Italian Napoli 3-1 on aggregate (1-3 away, 0-0 home).

Dynamo finished the 2014/15 season, just like the year before, in fourth place, but the matchday 30 match against Krasnodar on May 30, 2015, proved to be Cherchesov's last as coach of the white-and-blues. On July 13, 2015, Andrei Kobelev became the team's new coach, and Stanislav Salamovich departed for Legia Warsaw.

In total, Cherchesov coached Dynamo in 51 matches, recording 26 wins, 12 draws, and 13 losses, accumulating points at a rate of 1.76 per game.

From 2016 to 2021, Cherchesov led the Russian national team, and after his departure, Valery Karpin became the new coach of the national team. Under his leadership, the Russians have gone 22 matches unbeaten and averaged 2.39 points per game—the best performance of Valery Georgievich's entire coaching career.

Karpin's stats at Dynamo so far are as follows: 16 matches, with 6 wins, 3 draws, 7 losses, and 1.31 points per game. A little over a third of the season has been played, the lead over first place is 9 points, and the whole battle is still ahead. The match against Akhmat is an excellent opportunity to turn over a new leaf and begin a new winning streak, even without the opponent's head coach.

Interestingly, Karpin and Cherchesov have only faced each other twice as coaches. In the 2012/13 season, Karpin's Spartak beat Cherchesov's Terek (3-1), and the following season, Cherchesov's Amkar defeated Karpin's Spartak (2-1). The upcoming match will be only their third head-to-head encounter.

Which way will the scales tip this time? Will Karpin and Cherchesov have their first draw, or will one of the coaches take the lead in this head-to-head pursuit? We'll find out this Sunday.