The Matchday 22 clash in the Russian Premier League between Akron and Rostov will take place on March 31 at the Samara Solidarity Arena. Akron vs. Rostov: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Akron
Zaur Tedeev's side suffered a 1-2 home defeat against CSKA in the last round. This marks the second loss for Akron in three league matches following the winter break. Prior to this, the team lost to Pari NN (1-2) and defeated Krylia Sovetov (2-0). Notably, Akron has managed to score in five consecutive RPL matches – a record streak for the club. They currently sit ninth in the standings with 25 points. It's worth noting that Akron has conceded 38 goals in the current championship – only Pari NN has conceded more (39).
- Akron has not won in 6 of their last 9 home matches in the Premier League (1 draw, 5 losses).
- At least three goals have been scored in 6 of the club's last 8 home league matches.
- The team has conceded at least two goals in 6 of their last 9 home matches in the RPL.
Predicted lineup for Akron (4-5-1)
Sergey Volkov – Konstantin Savichev, Ionuts Nedelcearu, Joao Escoval, Roberto Fernandez – Stefan Loncar, Maxim Kuzmin, Dmitry Pestrakov, Alexa Djurashovic, Marat Bokoev – Artem Dzyuba.
Forward Gilson Benchimol will miss the game due to injury.
Rostov
In the last round, Jonatan Alba's side failed to secure points against Krasnodar at home (0-1). As a result, Rostov's seven-match unbeaten run in the league (5 wins, 2 draws) was snapped. Additionally, the club failed to score for the first time in ten previous Premier League matches. With 30 points, Rostov has dropped to ninth in the standings.
- The club has not won in 6 of their last 8 away matches in the RPL (2 draws, 4 losses).
- The team has scored exactly one or two goals in 5 of their last 7 away league matches.
- Both teams have scored in 8 of Rostov's last 11 away matches in the Premier League.
Predicted lineup for Rostov (4-3-3)
Rustam Yatimov – Daniil Shantaliy, Maxim Osipenko, Viktor Melokhin, Ilya Vakhania – Konstantin Kuchaev, Ivan Komarov, Alexey Sutormin – Mohammad Mohebi, Egor Golenkov, Nikolay Komlichenko.
Referee
Pavel Shadykhanov (Russia)
Matches – 7 (RPL, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 24;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.4;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 25;
Penalties – 29%.
Match Prediction: Akron vs. Rostov
Credit to the Togliatti team: for a Premier League debutant, they have shown quality in attack, especially at home. In their last eight home league matches, Akron failed to score only once – against Zenit. Moreover, in four instances during this stretch, the team breached the opponents' defense at least twice. However, Zaur Tedeev's side has conceded at least twice in 6 of their 9 home matches this RPL season.
Rostov tends to favor attacking football, even in away games. In their last 11 away league matches, the team left the field without scoring only three times – against Krasnodar, Spartak, and Zenit, who are in the top three of the standings. However, Rostov's defense is not always reliable: in their last 12 away league matches, the club has not kept a clean sheet once.
I expect a strong attacking display from both sides, so my prediction: Both teams to score – yes
* For each team, the starting lineup from their last match in this tournament is listed.
