The 2018 Kazakhstan Premier League was the 27th season of the Kazakhstan Premier League, the highest football league competition in Kazakhstan. Astana defended their championship, winning the Premier League for a fifth time.
Teams FC Okzhetpes and FC Taraz were relegated at the end of the 2017 season, and were replaced by FC Zhetysu and FC Kyzylzhar.
Team overview
Team Location Venue Capacity Aktobe Aktobe Aktobe Central Stadium 15,000 Akzhayik Oral Petr Atoyan Stadium 8,320 Astana Astana Astana Arena 30,000 Atyrau Atyrau Munaishy Stadium 8,690 Irtysh Pavlodar Pavlodar Central Stadium 15,000 Kairat Almaty Almaty Central Stadium 25,057 Kaisar Kyzylorda Gany Muratbayev Stadium 7,500 Kyzylzhar Petropavl Karasai Stadium 11,000 Ordabasy Shymkent Kazhymukan Munaitpasov Stadium 20,000 Shakhter Karaganda Shakhter Stadium 20,000 Tobol Kostanay Kostanay Central Stadium 10,500 Zhetysu Taldykorgan Zhetysu Stadium 4,000
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Aktobe Vladimir Mukhanov Marcos Pizzelli Adidas — Akzhayik Artur Avakyants Miram Sapanov Adidas — Astana Roman Hryhorchuk Dmitri Shomko Adidas Samruk-Kazyna Atyrau Viktor Kumykov Marat Khayrullin Nike — Irtysh Dimitar Dimitrov Nikita Kalmykov Nike ENRC Kairat Carlos Alós Bauyrzhan Islamkhan Nike Halyk Bank Kaisar Stoycho Mladenov Maksat Baizhanov Nike — Kyzylzhar Andrey Kucheryavykh Timur Muldinov Nike — Ordabasy Kakhaber Tskhadadze Azat Nurgaliev Nike Aysu Mineral Water Shakhter Nikolay Kostov Evgeniy Tarasov Nike BTL Kazakhstan Tobol Marek Zub Azat Nurgaliev Adidas Polymetal Zhetysu Dmitriy Ogai Mantas Kuklys Adidas —
Foreign players The number of foreign players is restricted to eight per KPL team. A team can use only five foreign players on the field in each game.
ClubPlayer 1Player 2Player 3Player 4Player 5Player 6Player 7Player 8Player 9 Aktobe Marcos Pizzelli Reynaldo Hrvoje Miličević Jean-Eudes Maurice Saša Marjanović Milan Radin Aleksandar Simčević Akzhayik Denis Glavina Artūrs Karašausks Malick Mané Andriy Tkachuk Yevhen Borovyk Ambrosiy Chachua Ihor Khudobyak Serhiy Basov Astana Richard Almeida Ivan Mayewski Marin Aničić Pedro Henrique Marin Tomasov Rangelo Janga Junior Kabananga László Kleinheisler Antonio Rukavina Atyrau Joseph Nane Tomislav Barbarić Jure Obšivač Tunde Adeniji František Kubík Novica Maksimović Predrag Sikimić Rizvan Ablitarov Irtysh Gbolahan Salami Carlos Fonseca Adrian Avramia Doru Popadiuc Miloš Stamenković Adri Syarhey Kislyak Kairat Isael Juan Felipe Syarhey Palitsevich Ivo Iličević Ákos Elek Márton Eppel Andrey Arshavin Sheldon Bateau Aderinsola Eseola Kaisar Abdel Lamanje Ivan Graf Franck Dja Djedjé Paul Were Mathias Coureur John Kamara Bratislav Punoševac Volodymyr Arzhanov Kyzylzhar Momodou Ceesay Shota Grigalashvili Giorgi Popkhadze Uroš Delić Freddy Coronel Miroslav Lečić Maksym Drachenko Oleksandr Stetsenko Ordabasy Pablo Fontanello Mirzad Mehanović Luka Muženjak Helton Nikita Bocharov Abdoulaye Diakate Nemanja Kojić Kyrylo Kovalchuk Shakhter Gegham Harutyunyan Alyaksandr Valadzko Mateo Mužek Lukas Droppa Egon Vuch Sergei Mošnikov Damir Kojašević Yevhen Tkachuk Tobol Juan Lescano Fernander Kassaï Jaba Kankava Nika Kvekveskiri Artūras Žulpa Ionuț Larie Dmytro Nepohodov Zhetysu Kamo Hovhannisyan Edgar Malakyan Andrey Lebedzew Ivan Sadownichy Lasha Kasradze David Mawutor Mantas Kuklys Ruslan Stepanyuk Server Djeparov In bold: Players that have been capped for their national team.
Managerial changes Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment Irtysh Pavlodar Vyacheslav Hroznyi End of contract 16 November 2017Pre-season Gerard Nus 21 December 2017 Tobol Robert Yevdokimov End of contract 1 December 2017 Vladimir Nikitenko 25 December 2017 Akzhayik Vakhid Masudov Volodymyr Mazyar 17 December 2017 Atyrau Kuanysh Kabdulov (caretaker) End of contract Vakhid Masudov 8 January 2018 Ordabasy Aleksei Petrushin End of contract Georgi Dermendzhiev 11 January 2018 Shakhter Karagandy Saulius Širmelis End of contract 31 December 2017 Uladzimir Zhuravel 9 January 2018 Atyrau Vakhid Masudov Resigned 9 April 2018 12th Adrian Sosnovschi 11 April 2018 Irtysh Pavlodar Gerard Nus Sacked 28 April 2018 8th Dmitry Kuznetsov (Caretaker) 28 April 2018 Akzhayik Volodymyr Mazyar 15 May 2018 7th Irtysh Pavlodar Dmitry Kuznetsov (Caretaker) End of Contract 13 June 2018 5th Oirat Saduov 13 June 2018 Shakhter Karagandy Uladzimir Zhuravel Mutual Termination 3 July 2018 10th Andrei Finonchenko (Caretaker) 3 July 2018 Atyrau Adrian Sosnovschi Resigned 1 July 2018 12th Viktor Kumykov 4 July 2018 Irtysh Pavlodar Oirat Saduov Sacked 10 July 2018 9th Dimitar Dimitrov 10 July 2018 Tobol Vladimir Nikitenko Resignation 1 August 2018 3rd Marek Zub 6 August 2018 Kairat Carlos Alós Mutual Consent 15 October 2018 2nd Andrei Karpovich (Caretaker) 15 October 2018
Regular season
Table
Results Games 1–22
Games 23–33
Relegation play-offs
Statistics Scoring First goal of the season: Pavel Shabalin for Irtysh Pavlodar against Atyrau (11 March 2018)
Top scorers
RankPlayerClubGoals1 Marcos PizzelliAktobe182 Aderinsola EseolaAkzhayik/Kairat173 Marin TomasovAstana144 IsaelKairat125 Aleksey ShchotkinAstana10 Bratislav PunoševacKaisar7 Andrey ArshavinKairat9 Malick ManéAkzhayik9 Azat NurgalievTobol8 Babatunde Temitope AdenijiAtyrau Damir KojaševićShakhter Karagandy Timur MuldinovKyzylzhar Roman MurtazayevAstana Patrick TwumasiAstana Marat KhairullinAtyrau
Hat-tricks Player For Against Result Date Ref. Baktiyar ZaynutdinovAstanaIrtysh Pavlodar6–1 Milan BojovićZhetysuOrdabasy4–2 Marcos PizzelliAktobeTobol3–2 Aleksey ShchotkinAstanaKyzylzhar3–0
Awards Annual awards Award Winner Club Premier League Player of the Year Marcos Pizzelli Aktobe Premier League Goalkeeper of the Year Nenad Erić Astana Premier League Manager of the Year Grigory Babayan Astana Discovery of the Season Bakhtiyar Zaynutdinov Astana Team of the Year Goalkeeper Dmytro Nepohodov(Tobol) Defenders Dmitry Shomko(Astana) Marin Aničić(Astana) Yevgeny Postnikov(Astana) Abzal Beysebekov(Astana) Midfielders László Kleinheisler(Astana) Andrey Arshavin(Kairat) Bakhtiyar Zaynutdinov(Astana) Bauyrzhan Islamkhan(Kairat) Marin Tomasov(Astana) Forward Marcos Pizzelli(Aktobe)
Attendances
# Club Average 1 Aktobe 8,835 2 Kairat 7,406 3 Ordabasy 4,112 4 Astana 3,800 5 Qyzyljar 3,706 6 Tobol 3,453 7 Irtysh 2,813 8 Kaysar 2,625 9 Atyrau 2,138 10 Akzhaiyk 1,800 11 Zhetysu 1,635 12 Shakhter 1,588 Source:
References
External links Official website