The football club Dinamo Makhachkala has confirmed its travel plans for the upcoming Russian Premier League match. The team will make the trip to Grozny to face Akhmat by bus, a decision driven by the current suspension of operations at several airports across southern Russia.
The club's general director, Shamil Gazizov, provided details on the logistics. He stated that the distance between Makhachkala and Grozny is approximately 180 kilometers, a route the team regularly covers by road. The bus journey is expected to take around three hours.
This travel arrangement is not unique to Dinamo Makhachkala. The situation has affected other clubs as well. For instance, the Moscow-based Dinamo is also facing a lengthy road trip. After playing a Russian Cup match in Krasnodar, that team is forced to return to Moscow by bus due to the same airport disruptions.
The match itself is a significant fixture in the league calendar. It is part of the 29th round of the Mir Russian Premier League and is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 10. Both teams will be looking to secure valuable points as the season progresses.
In the current league standings, the two clubs find themselves in different positions. Dinamo Makhachkala is currently in 14th place, which places them in the relegation playoff zone, with 24 points accumulated so far. Their opponents, Akhmat, are in a more comfortable 9th position with 35 points.
The necessity for bus travel highlights the broader logistical challenges facing teams in the region. While the road trip is a standard practice for matches between these two neighboring clubs, the underlying cause—the airport closures—impacts the wider football ecosystem, forcing adjustments to travel plans for multiple teams across different competitions.
Based on reporting from Чемпионат.com.
