With just two legs of the regular season remaining the action at the Megasport Sport Palace is crucial as skaters bid to qualify for the season-ending Grand Prix Final in Turin.

In the ice dance, Russian eyes will fall on Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, the World Championship silver medallists who won their first Grand Prix leg at the Cup of China last weekend.

The national champions can expect tough competition from Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, however, who won on the circuit at their home Skate Canada event last month.

Spain's Sara Hurtado and Kirill Khaliavin, last year's silver medallists in Moscow, will also be among the contenders alongside Canada's world junior champions Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha.

In the women's event world junior champion Alexandra Trusova is a big hope for Russia after also winning at Skate Canada.

The host nation's Olympic silver medalist Evgenia Medvedeva will also compete and will be looking for better after only coming fifth in Canada, while two-time World Championship medallist Satoko Miyahara of Japan should contend after winning silver in China.

In the pairs, Skate Canada champions Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii will be Russia's hope alongside their compatriots Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, the World Championship silver medallists.

A strong home team will also include Sochi 2014 Olympic silver medallist Ksenia Stolbova, who is now skating with new partner Andrei Novoselov.

Japan's Olympic silver medallist Shoma Uno will line-up in the men's competition after a disappointing eighth at the Internationaux de France Grand Prix leg in Grenoble earlier this month.

Alexander Samarin of Russia, who was second at that event, will lead the host nation charge while Canada's Nam Nguyen won silver at his home competition.

The two-day event begins tomorrow with the short programmes and rhythm dance.

Free programmes will follow on Saturday (November 16).