This week's episode of Russian Football Now talks about the fight for second place. Where once Spartak Moscow looked like a challenger to Rubin Kazan at the top of the table, Spartak's recent dip in form has thrust them into a battle for the last automatic Champions League spot with CSKA Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow, and Zenit St. Petersburg. Three points separate the four clubs sitting in second through fifth place in the Russian Premier League.

The feature match on this weekend's calendar features two of those sides, as CSKA Moscow hosts Zenit St. Petersburg four days before hosting Turkish champions Besiktas in UEFA Champions League. Hosts Chris Riordan and myself talk about that as well as Russia's other UCL match: league champions Rubin Kazan host some club called FC Internzaionale Milano. Whoever that is.

You can get the episode from Russian Football Now's website, but stay turned to Mad About Fútbol for your updates on the Russian League.

You can also get Russian Football Now podcasts via the site's iTunes feed or through my personal iTunes feed.