The Russian football championship is not among the five strongest in Europe, but it is in the top ten, so it is not surprising that even in European competitions, representatives of this tournament sometimes show impressive results. Moreover, in the championship itself there are quite strong clubs that constantly fight among themselves for the championship. This article will examine in detail the achievements of the two largest clubs in Russia, and you will find out who is better: CSKA or Spartak. Both of these clubs have a rich history and played an important role in the USSR championship. So it will be interesting for everyone to find out who is better: CSKA or Spartak.
Victory in the Russian Championship
If we consider the question of who is better, CSKA or Spartak, the first thing you need to pay attention to local tournaments. Namely, the championship of Russia. In this regard, CSKA is definitely inferior to its opponent. Of course, the army team won their first tournament not so early, only in 2003, but after that they were able to succeed five more times. The last time they won the Russian championship in 2016. As for Spartak, it was one of the main dominant clubs in the first decade of the championship of our country. It was Spartak who won the first Russian championship in history, having done this three times in a row. After a year-long break, the club established the final hegemony in the Russian Federation, winning six tournaments in a row. And after 2001, the club stagnated. He could not win a single Russian title until 2017. The last victory was the tenth for Spartak. Thus, if we take only the Russian championship into account, then we can easily answer the question of who is better: CSKA or Spartak? The latter has four more titles. However, everything is not limited only to Russian competitions, so it is important to take into account other merits.
Victories in the USSR Championship
Since the days of the USSR, there has been debate about who is better, CSKA or Spartak. And here Spartak is again ahead of its opponent, and this club has almost twice as many titles as CSKA. They won their first victory in the championship of the Soviet Union only in 1946, repeating success two more times in a row. Then victories followed in 1950 and 1951, and after that the club won the championship with a frequency of once every twenty years, that is, in 1970, and then in 1991 (this was the last championship of the USSR in history).
If we talk about Spartak, then he won his first five titles by 1953, and by 1979 he had brought this figure to ten. But the team did not stop there, having won twice more, in 1987 and 1989. As a result, Spartak has 12 USSR titles, while CSKA has only seven. Who is better: Spartak or CSKA? At the moment, one gets the feeling that Spartak is significantly superior to its opponent.
Victory in the Cup of Russia
The first indicator by which CSKA is definitely superior to its opponent is the number of victories in the Cup of Russia. Spartak received this trophy only three times: in 1994, 1998 and 2003. At the same time, CSKA really dominates this tournament, because the club already has seven victories in the Cup. The first of them took place in 2002, and the last in 2013. Thus, in this format, the army team is stronger than their opponent. But is this really so? And what will happen if we compare the performance of the USSR Cup? Which team do you think is better, Spartak or CSKA? Will the score even out after this comparison?
Victory in the USSR Cup
Well, CSKA won one less victory in the USSR Cup than in a similar tournament, but only within the framework of Russia. The club first won the trophy in 1945, and for the fifth and last time in 1991. But what about Spartak? This club has achieved much more impressive success in the tournament, which was held between the teams of the USSR. Spartak chalked up ten victories, the first of which took place in 1938, and the last in 1992. If CSKA won the last USSR Championship in history, the last in the history of the Soviet Union Cup remained with Spartak, just like dominance in this tournament. Well, now you can already have a pretty clear idea of which club is better, CSKA or Spartak. But it remains to take a look at European tournaments, which are very important.
Performances in Eurocups
It should be noted right away that Spartak has never been able to win a single European Cup in its entire long history. The most noteworthy achievement to date is reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League in 1991. After that, in 1993 there was another semifinal, this time in the Cup Winners' Cup. Well, the last outstanding achievement happened in 1998, when Spartak reached the semifinals of the UEFA Cup, however, it could not go any further.
As for CSKA, this club has one victory in Europe. It happened in 2005, when the army team reached the final of the UEFA Cup, in which they defeated the strong Lisbon Sporting and became champions. Thanks to this, they had the opportunity to win the UEFA Super Cup, but in this match they lost to Liverpool.
Who is better?
Well, now you know that Spartak in the local arena surpasses the army in almost all aspects, but the club could not achieve anything in the European arena, while CSKA won the UEFA Cup. However, what about the present? Who plays better, Spartak or CSKA? If this question had been asked a couple of years ago, there would have been no doubt, because Spartak was in a deep crisis. However, last year the team rose from the ashes and won the Russian Championship, and now it is keeping up with CSKA with 25 points. While the army team managed to get 26 points. In a full-time meeting this season, CSKA turned out to be stronger, having won 2-1.