Low-performing teams are favorites to underdeliver with odds of 1.84
Zenit St. Petersburg and FC CSKA Moscow Square Off in Tightly Contested Russian Championship Clash
Zenit St. Petersburg and FC CSKA Moscow will face off in the Russian Championship, with both teams looking to secure a crucial win. The upcoming clash promises to be a closely fought contest, given the historical scoring trends between the two clubs.
In the first two rounds of the RPL, key players Mostovoy and Cassierra from Zenit have combined for 4 goals and 1 assist. Meanwhile, CSKA, under the guidance of new coach Celinski, have had a solid start to the season, drawing with Orenburg and securing a comeback win over Akhmat.
Historically, Zenit has had a slight edge over CSKA in the Russian Championship, holding about a 49 percent win rate across 49 head-to-head league matches. However, recent encounters have been closely contested, with Zenit only narrowly winning in Moscow last season (1-0) and drawing at home (2-2).
The scoring trend between the two clubs typically involves fewer than 2.5 goals, indicating tight defensive contests. CSKA has conceded an average of only 0.5 goals per Premier League match recently, and many of their recent away league matches against Zenit finished in draws.
Zenit, on the other hand, has been in great form offensively, scoring in 13 consecutive RPL matches. However, against CSKA, recent results have been mixed, with few large-margin victories. The only win by more than one goal over the last 10 head-to-head matches in Saint Petersburg was in the Russian Cup final.
In the Russian Cup, Celinski's team beat Lokomotiv (2-1), while Zenit started the current Russian championship with a 2-1 victory over Rostov and ended in a 2-2 draw against Rubin, where Zenit conceded more than 1 goal for the first time in 11 of their last RPL games against Rubin.
CSKA are traditionally strong defensively, having only conceded 3 goals in their last 7 home games in the Russian championship. Krugovoy scored a brace in CSKA's win over Akhmat, adding to their defensive solidity.
Predictions for the upcoming clash favour a low-scoring game, with 7 out of the last 8 meetings between the two teams not scoring more than 2 goals. The prediction for the upcoming clash is 1.84Bet.
This promises to be an exciting match, with both teams eager to secure a crucial win in a closely contested encounter. (Sources: [2], [3])
Bookmakers predict a closely contested match between Zenit St. Petersburg and FC CSKA Moscow in the Russian Championship, with odds of 1.84 for less than 2.5 goals being scored. Given the teams' historical scoring trends, the low-scoring prediction could be supported by Zenit's defensive difficulties against CSKA and CSKA's recent strong defensive performances.
