--- title: "Malynovskyi and Batagov's Trabzonspor to Travel to Saint Petersburg for a Friendly Match Against Zenit" description: "Malynovskyi and Batagov's Trabzonspor will play a friendly match against Zenit in Saint Petersburg on November 15 — during the international window. The Ukrainians may be called up to the national team, which will allow them to avoid the trip to the Russian Federation." date: 2026-09-03T06:50:05.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/trabzonspor-zenit-friendly-malinovskiy-batagov tags: [trabzonspor, zenit, malinovskyi, batagov, ukraine-national-team, friendly-match] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Malynovskyi and Batagov's Trabzonspor to Travel to Saint Petersburg for a Friendly Match Against Zenit ![Trabzonspor player wearing number 17 jersey before the friendly match against Zenit in Saint Petersburg](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/03/trabzonspor-zenit-druzheskaya-igra-malinovskiy-batagov/trabzonspor-zenit-druzheskaya-igra-malinovskiy-batagov-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Trabzonspor has announced a friendly match against Zenit on November 15 in Saint Petersburg during the international break. - Ukrainians Malynovskyi and Batagov are likely to be called up to the Ukraine national team (Nations League matches on November 14–17), which will allow them to avoid the trip to the Russian Federation. - Trabzonspor started the 2026/27 season inconsistently (11th place), lost to Ferencváros in the qualifiers, and changed coaches — Fatih Tekke was replaced by interim manager Hussein Çemşir. - The sources differ in emphasis: Ukrainian ones focus on Malynovskyi and Batagov, Russian ones on Mohamed Salah. Turkish side Trabzonspor, whose squad features Ukrainian footballers Ruslan Malynovskyi and Arsений Batagov, has scheduled a friendly match against Saint Petersburg's Zenit. The fixture is set to take place during the international break in the club competition calendar. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the official Trabzonspor page on the social network X (Twitter). Thus, the Turks have officially announced an away friendly in Russia, which will become one of the most discussed events ahead of the November international window. ### What is known about the match According to Russian sports media, the Zenit – Trabzonspor match is scheduled for November 15 and will be held in Saint Petersburg. This date falls within the standard window for national team matches, which is of fundamental importance for the composition of the Turkish delegation. The match is of a friendly nature and is not part of any official tournament, so its scheduling does not conflict with the club calendar and allows both sides to carry out preparatory training during the international break. ### International context and the Ukraine national team The key nuance of the announcement is linked to the Ukraine national team's schedule. From November 14 to 17, the "blue and yellows" will play important UEFA Nations League matches against Northern Ireland and Georgia. It is expected that both Ruslan Malynovskyi and Arsений Batagov will be called up to the national team camp, which will allow them to avoid traveling to the Russian Federation with the club. Thus, even with the official announcement of a friendly in Russia, the participation of Trabzonspor's Ukrainian legionnaires in it remains uncertain and directly depends on the decision of the national team's coaching staff. ### Trabzonspor's form in the 2026/27 season The Turkish team started the 2026/27 season extremely inconsistently: in three league matches the side has one win, one draw and one loss, and Trabzonspor sits in 11th place in the standings. In European competition the Turks also failed to show the expected level — in the Europa League qualifying playoffs they lost to Hungary's Ferencváros and dropped down to the main stage of the Conference League. Against the backdrop of such results, head coach Fatih Tekke left the team, and interim caretaker manager Hussein Çemşir took over the duties. The Turks' next official match will be on Saturday, September 6, against Gençlerbirliği. ### Contradictory data There is a discrepancy in the sources over which player is highlighted in the announcement's headline. The Ukrainian outlet Sport RBC.UA focuses on the Ukrainian footballers Ruslan Malynovskyi and Arsений Batagov and emphasizes that their possible call-up to the national team will allow them to avoid the trip to the Russian Federation; in this text, Mohamed Salah is not mentioned at all. At the same time, Russian outlets (sports.ru, piter.tv, rbc.ru) announce the match specifically as a meeting between Zenit and Mohamed Salah's Trabzonspor, presenting the Egyptian striker as the key figure of the opponent. Thus, the fact of the friendly match on November 15 in Saint Petersburg is confirmed by all sources, but the emphases differ: the Ukrainian framing centers on Malynovskyi and Batagov, while the Russian one centers on Salah. Readers should note that the information about Salah being in Trabzonspor's squad relies on secondary Russian sources and is not confirmed in the primary Ukrainian text. ### Historical context The Turkish club last crossed paths with a Russian team in the 2019/20 season, when Trabzonspor faced Krasnodar in the group stage of the Europa League. Since then, the team has not played any Russian clubs in either official or friendly matches. Therefore, the announced meeting with Zenit will be the first such confrontation in several years and will attract heightened attention from fans and the press on both sides. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Scandalous choice: Malynovskyi and Batagov's club to travel to the Russian Federation](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/skandalniy-vibir-klub-malinovskogo-ta-batagova-1788414804.html) - Первичный источник: анонс товарищеского матча «Трабзонспор» — «Зенит» со ссылкой на официальную X-страницу клуба; акцент на украинских игроках и окне сборных 14–17 ноября. - [Zenit to play Salah's Trabzonspor in Saint Petersburg on November 15](https://www.sports.ru/football/1117355943-zenit-sygraet-s-trabzonsporom-salaxa-v-sankt-peterburge-15-noyabrya.html) - Подтверждает дату 15 ноября и место (Санкт-Петербург); однако выводит в заголовок Мохаммеда Салаха, что не совпадает с подачей украинского источника. - [Zenit to play Mohamed Salah's Trabzonspor in November](https://piter.tv/event/Futbolisti_Zenita_15_noyabrya_/) - Подтверждает ноябрьский матч; также строится вокруг фигуры Салаха. - [Zenit announced a match against Mohamed Salah's club](https://www.rbc.ru/sport/02/09/2026/6a981cad9a7947aca56a16ef) - Подтверждает факт анонса «Зенитом» матча; акцент на Салахе расходится с украинской подачей. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: When and where will the Zenit – Trabzonspor match be held? **A:** The friendly match is scheduled for November 15 in Saint Petersburg, during the international break. ### Q: Will Malynovskyi and Batagov travel to Russia? **A:** It is expected that both Ukrainians will be called up to the Ukraine national team for the Nations League matches (November 14–17), which will allow them to avoid the trip to the Russian Federation with the club. ### Q: What form is Trabzonspor in? **A:** The team started the 2026/27 season inconsistently: one win, one draw and one loss in three league matches, 11th place; in European competition they lost to Ferencváros and changed their coach. ### Q: Have the Turks played a Russian club before? **A:** The last crossing with a Russian club took place in the 2019/20 season, when Trabzonspor faced Krasnodar in the group stage of the Europa League.