Back in the USSR

FC Spartak Moskva meet FC Dynamo Kyiv again on Wednesday and the Ukrainian side's president Ihor Surkis is not underplaying the importance of the former Soviet giants' meeting. "Even if it kills us, we must get through," was his clarion call.

Life or death
Speaking after the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round draw, Surkis said: "We have to beat Spartak. The players have to understand that and give all they have to win." Group stage football is a precious commodity for both clubs, but prestige is arguably an even bigger factor. Spartak and Dynamo were the two most successful sides in the former USSR, and while many teams from the other Soviet republics had sides that won Supreme League titles – Belarus's FC Dinamo Minsk, FC Dinamo Tbilisi from Georgia and Armenia's FC Ararat Yerevan – games between the most popular sides in Russia and Ukraine were always the ones that captured the public imagination.

Tit for tat
The previous meetings between the teams include some famous games, none less so than the tie on the final day of the 1976 autumn campaign. Spartak needed a win against Dynamo to avoid relegation, but failed as Valeriy Lobanovskiy's side triumphed 3-1. That defeat was avenged after a fashion in 1982, as Spartak lost 4-3 to Dinamo Minsk on the final day of the season – a result which saw the Belarussian side pip Dynamo Kyiv to win the championship.

Dramatic ending
Seven years later, they squared off in the penultimate game of the season with Spartak needing a win against third-placed Dynamo to secure the title. Oleh Protasov beat Spartak goalkeeper – and now coach – Stanislav Cherchesov after just three minutes, but Evgeni Kuznetsov equalised shortly after the break. With just a minute to go, Valeri Shmarov, not a master of set-pieces, fired a 22-metre free-kick into the top corner to earn Spartak their 12th and final Soviet title. Dynamo, however, were to end the Soviet era with 13 crowns.

Post-Soviet meetings
Since the former Soviet republics went their separate ways, the rivalry between Dynamo and Spartak has not disappeared. They regularly meet in friendly competitions like the Commonwealth Cup, while Serhiy Rebrov, Carlos Corrêa and Oleh Gusev were on target as Dynamo beat Spartak 3-0 in a friendly tournament in Israel in January. Their last competitive fixtures came in the group stage of the 1994/95 UEFA Champions League, with each team winning at home though neither progressed.

Not forgotten
As they gear up for their latest meeting, neither side is in sparkling form. Both changed coaches last season and finished runners-up in their leagues, and they each drew their weekend domestic fixtures. Victory on Wednesday would not guarantee either club anything, but it would be a massive morale boost. The days of the Soviet Supreme League have gone, but they are far from forgotten.