Pavlyuchenko top of the charts

Roman Pavlyuchenko's disappointment at FC Spartak Moskva being pipped to the 2006 title in Russia is set to be tempered by finishing the campaign as top scorer.

Nearest rivals 
Only a five-goal haul from either FC Lokomotiv Moskva's Dmitri Loskov or FC Tom Tomsk's Pavel Pogrebnyak on the final day of the season on Sunday could deprive Pavlyuchenko the domestic golden boot. Jô of PFC CSKA Moskva, who have already been crowned champions, is his closest rival but is unable to add to his tally of 14 because of injury. Yet, the 17-goal Spartak forward would swap personal glory for team success.

Swap deal
"I would trade the top scorer's title for the gold medals," he said. "I would settle for no goals if Spartak were champions. It is a pity you cannot make such a trade. In every game I have had two or three scoring chances. This year I began to convert at least half of my chances, that is why I began to score more." Before moving to Spartak in 2003, Pavlyuchenko had spent four years in professional football and never scored more than five goals, but he has thrived in the capital.

Slow start
He has become a Russian international and has scored at least ten goals in each of the previous three seasons, with his overall Spartak league tally standing at 48 from 104 games. He endured something of a slow start this time around, playing six matches without a goal but then found his rhythm and now has 17 from 26 appearances. He will be well aware that a final-day hat-trick at FC Krylya Sovetov Samara would leave him with an impressive 20-goal haul.

Rival injury
It may have been a different story entirely had Jô not been struck down twice with injury. The Brazilian started the season with a bang and had 13 to his name after just ten games, but an injury in August and another one in October meant the 19-year-old increased his tally by just one. Pogrebnyak has also enjoyed the best season of his career. After failing to break through at Spartak, the 23-year-old moved to Tom and made it to the Russia national team in just one season on the back of his 13 goals. Pogrebnyak is now established as a regular under Guus Hiddink.

Lean years
In recent years, Russian football has not been known for its goalscoring talent. With few players reaching the 15-goal mark, the top-scorer's prize has often been claimed by attacking midfielders like Oleg Veretennikov, Rolan Gusev and Loskov who take penalties and free-kicks for their respective teams. However, Pavlyuchenko and Jô have changed all that and ensured goal-scoring is undergoing something of a renaissance in Russia.