Russian league leaders CSKA Moscow will be looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season at Krasnodar when they take on lowly Samara on Saturday.

Despite their 2-1 slump a fortnight ago the Red Army side have a six-point lead over closest pursuers Rostov and Lokomotiv Moscow with champions Zenit Saint Petersburg sitting fourth, four points further back.

CSKA manager Leonid Slutsky urged his players to put the slip-up behind them.

"We've had a slip-up but now we should forget it as soon as possible," he said.

"Now we need to focus on the match against Samara. A win will maintain our league lead and boost morale ahead of the crucial Champions League match with Wolfsburg."

Second-placed Rostov, who have won their last four league matches, will hope to extend their winning ways against Ufa, who are just one point above the relegation zone, on Monday.

Meanwhile, Lokomotiv, who have seriously boosted morale with a 2-0 win over the Zenit in their previous match, will try to add all three points in their home match with bottom-placed Anzhi Makhachkala on Saturday.

"We showed strong team spirit in our last two games: against Besiktas in Europa League at Stambul and against Zenit. It's a very encouraging sign," Lokomotiv head coach Igor Cherevchenko said.

"Besides, I'm really pleased with a good chemistry in our dressing room. There's almost a family environment. It helps me to conduct the team.

"There's no use for extra motivation of my men for the game with Anzhi, they all understand the importance of the win."

Zenit, who have already won a place in the Champions League knockout stage, now can turn their focus back on domestic affairs, when they take on Ural also Saturday.

Manager Andre Villas-Boas said: "We are doing really well in the Champions League, but in Russia we are having problems."

"This season we have focused on the Champions League but we will also be doing everything possible to perform well in the championship," added the former Porto, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager.

Fixtures (all times GMT)