The second stage of the 2024/25 Russian Cup quarter-finals in the Regions Path between Akron and Spartak will take place on March 12 at the Solidarity Samara Arena. Akron vs. Spartak: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Akron
Zaur Tedeev's team defeated Shinnik 1-0 away in the previous stage. This was Akron's third victory in the current Russian Cup, with one draw and three losses in regular time. Additionally, the Tolyatti team managed to keep a clean sheet for only the second time in this tournament's current edition. Notably, the club has conceded 12 goals in the current national Cup, surpassing only Dynamo Moscow (15) among the teams still in the competition.
- The club has not lost in regular time in 8 of their last 10 home matches in the Russian Cup (6 wins, 2 draws).
- No more than two goals have been scored in 90 minutes in 7 of the team's last 9 home matches in this tournament.
- At least one of the opponents failed to score in regular time in 8 of Akron's last 11 home matches in the national Cup.
Predicted lineup for Akron (4-3-3)
Alexander Vasyutin – Konstantin Savichev, Ionut Nedelcearu, Joao Escoval, Roberto Fernandez – Maxim Kuzmin, Stefan Loncar, Alexa Djurashovic – Artem Dzyuba, Kirill Danilin, Dmitry Pestryakov.
Midfielder Soltmurad Bakaev and forward Benshimol will miss the game due to injuries.
Spartak
Dejan Stankovic's team found themselves in this Russian Cup bracket after being eliminated from the RPL Path in the quarter-finals by Rostov over two legs, losing both (0-1 and 1-2). Prior to this, Spartak had secured five victories in six matches in this tournament, three of which were by a large margin. Moreover, the Moscow team has not scored more than one goal in any of their last three matches in the national Cup.
- The team has not lost in regular time in 5 of their last 7 away matches in the national Cup (4 wins, 1 draw).
- At least one of the opponents failed to score in 90 minutes in 8 of the club's last 10 away matches in this tournament.
- Spartak conceded a maximum of one goal in regular time in 6 of their last 8 away matches in the Russian Cup.
Predicted lineup for Spartak (4-3-3)
Alexander Maksimenko – Srdjan Babic, Daniil Denisov, Alexis Duarte, Oleg Ryabchuk – Danil Prutsev, Nail Umyarov, Ezequiel Barco – Theo Bongonda, Marquinhos, Manfred Ugalde.
Midfielder Nail Umyarov will not play due to suspension.
Referee
Artem Chistyakov (Russia)
Matches – 8 (Russian Cup, 2022/23 - 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 28;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.5;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 21;
Penalties – 13%.
Match Prediction: Akron vs. Spartak
In cup matches at home, Akron rarely excites fans with an attacking display and does not stand out for high scoring. In their last four home matches in the national Cup, Akron players only managed to score more than one goal against Fakel, and in the current tournament edition, they have scored three times in three home matches. Meanwhile, the team is quite reliable in defense and has not conceded more than one goal in their last 14 home matches in the Russian Cup.
Spartak cannot boast consistently high-quality attacking performances in away cup matches. In 6 of their last 9 away matches in the national Cup, the team has not surpassed the mark of one goal, and in four cases during this period, they did not score at all. At the same time, they do not allow much to their opponents: in their last eight away matches in this tournament, Spartak has conceded more than one goal only twice.
I do not expect a high-scoring game in this encounter, so my prediction: Total under 3 goals
