Krasnodar had a historic season that saw them secure only their second ever top 3 finish and with this qualify for the Champions League for the first time ever in their history.
Pressed by financial problems Krasnodar started the season with very small squad, but good use of the own U21 squad saw many players from the junior ranks not simply making senior debuts, but contributing a lot. Goalkeeper Safonov came through the ranks to be the outright number one come the end of the season, Utkin debuted at senior level in spring and impressed in his half a dozen starts, while up front 19-year-olds Shapi-Suleymanov and Ignatyev scored many goals throughout the entire season.
Things threatened to derail right after the scandal with the arrest of important midfielder Mamaev in October, he remains in prison for at least 12 more months, but the experience of Wanderson, Kabore, Pereyra and Claesson was enough to keep the ship steady and the blend between youth and experience really worked for Krasnodar.
Krasnodar welcomed the long winter break sitting just 1 point behind leaders Zenit, but then three-game winless restart to the season saw this gap widening and the only goal late on was to secure top 3 finish. With the only 2 league defeats in 2019 suffered against the 2 teams that finished above them Krasnodar definitely did enough to be worthy of the medals.
With the financial fair play issues no longer bothering the team serious strengthening likely to take place this summer and many expect Krasnodar to be major title-contenders next season.
