The key facts
- Lokomotiv dismissed Mikhail Galaktionov after a 0:1 defeat to Rubin — the fourth in a row in all competitions
- After 14 rounds the team has 11 points and sits 15th in the RPL, in the direct relegation zone
- Dmitry Guberniev called Cherchesov a suitable candidate and suggested he would not refuse to take charge of the club
The club in the relegation zone has changed its head coach
Moscow Lokomotiv announced the dismissal of head coach Mikhail Galaktionov after a home 0:1 defeat to Kazan Rubin in the matchday 14 fixture of the Russian Premier League. It was the team's fourth consecutive loss in all competitions. After 14 rounds the railwaymen have collected 11 points and sit 15th in the Russian championship, inside the direct relegation zone. Their winless home streak has reached seven matches in a row — a club anti-record. At the same time, Galaktionov had been working with the team since November 2022 and led it to RPL bronze medals last season, meaning that in a single year the club dropped from a medal position to the bottom of the table.
Guberniev named a candidate for the coaching post
Sports commentator Dmitry Guberniev believes the team should be led by Stanislav Cherchesov — a tough and authoritative specialist capable of 'shaking up' the club. 'If Stanislav Salamovich comes, the team will still fight for a top-6 finish. And with a good run — for the title next season,' Match TV quotes the commentator as saying. In Guberniev's view, Cherchesov, who guarded the railwaymen's goal in 1988, would not turn down the offer: he keeps in touch with him. The commentator stressed, however, that the final decision rests with the club's leadership. No appointment has been announced yet — this is an assessment and an assumption, not a confirmed choice by the club.
Cherchesov has just left Akhmat
Cherchesov's candidacy is relevant because the specialist has recently been out of work: he left the post of head coach of Grozny's Akhmat by mutual agreement on 2 November, after a 0:2 defeat to Moscow Dynamo, as Life.rupreviously reported. Cherchesov took charge of Akhmat in August 2025, returning to the team after 12 years. His career also includes the national teams of Russia and Kazakhstan, Spartak, Dynamo, Perm's Amkar, Sochi's Zhemchuzhina, Hungary's Ferencváros, Poland's Legia and Austria's Wacker Innsbruck. Thus, two circumstances have coincided: Lokomotiv urgently needs a coach, and Cherchesov is available — however, the club's decision on the appointment is currently unknown.
