Zenit Saint Petersburg coach Sergei Semak called for focus as the injury-hit Russian league leaders prepare to visit struggling Dynamo Moscow at the weekend.

Zenit are six points clear of second-placed Krasnodar and should head into Sunday's fixture confident of taking all three points having won five of their last six league meetings with Dynamo.

To boot, Dynamo are third from bottom of the pile on 10 points from as many games, are winless in their last four outings and have lost their last three league games.

But Zenit have several players sidelined following the break for international football. Most are out through injury, while one -- Alexander Kokorin -- has been charged following an attack on a government official in an upscale Moscow cafe earlier this month.

For Semak, there can be no room for complacency.

"We've recently lost several first-choice players and it could become a serious problem for us in Sunday's match," Semak told Zenit's official site.

"Our goalkeeper (Andrei) Lunev and midfielder (Alexander) Erokhin were both injured against Krasnodar, while forward (Alexander) Kokorin has been detained for an attack on the government official.

"Besides, 11 Zenit footballers played with their national sides. Some of them came back injured.

"Hopefully, we will cope with the situation but we will hjave to be really concentrated against Dynamo, who have nothing to lose after three consecutive league defeats."

Kokorin is not the only player from Russia's top flight facing sanctions for his role in the assault that shocked Russia and indeed the world of football.

Fellow professional Pavel Mamaev, who plays for Krasnodar, has also been charged and will play no part on Sunday when the title hopefuls host Akhmat Grozny.

Both Mamaev and Kokorin will remain behind bars until December 8 pending their trial for "hooliganism", a crime for which they face up to seven years in prison, according to reports from Russia.

On Friday, appeals by both players to be set free on bail were rejected.

Krasnodar have pledged to do everything possible to terminate the disgraced midfielder's contract.

Meanwhile, club coach Murad Musayev is concerned over his players' freshness following the international break.

"We hope to play to our best against Akhmat, even though nine of our players have just came back from their nationanl sides," he said.

"We need to win to keep Zenit in sight."

Fixtures (all times GMT)