The Matchday 9 fixture of the MIR Russian Premier League between Baltika and Rostov will take place on September 21 at the Rostech Arena in Kaliningrad. Baltika vs. Rostov: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Baltika
In the previous round, the Kaliningrad side shared the points at home with Zenit (0-0). Andrey Talalaev's team failed to score for the first time in the current championship, but this fact is unlikely to upset a team that remains unbeaten with 4 wins and 4 draws. Baltika has kept a clean sheet for the fourth time in the RPL 2025/26, a feat unmatched by any other team. Overall, the club has conceded only 5 goals, the best record alongside Krasnodar, from whom they trail by three points in the standings.
- The team opened the scoring in 7 of their last 9 Premier League matches.
- Both teams scored in 6 of Baltika's last 7 home league games.
- At home, the club has not lost in 7 of their last 9 matches in this tournament (4 wins, 3 draws).
Predicted lineup for Baltika (4-5-1)
Maxim Borisko – Sergey Varatynov, Kevin Andrade, Alexander Filin, Mingiyan Beveev – Vladislav Saus, Sergey Pryakhin, Ilya Petrov, Nikolay Titkov, Maxim Petrov – Bryan Gil.
Midfielder Andrey Mendel and defender Nathan Gassama are injured.
Rostov
Jonathan Alba's side became the first team to defeat CSKA in the current championship. The victory over the "Army Men" with a score of 1-0 ended Rostov's 3-match winless streak in the Premier League (2 draws, 1 loss). It was only the second time in the RPL 2025/26 that the club managed not to concede. Rostov has scored in three consecutive matches in this tournament. In the overall standings, the team climbed to 11th place, but the gap from the relegation zone is only 2 points.
- No more than two goals were scored in 5 of Rostov's last 7 league matches.
- The team has not won in their last 7 away matches in the RPL (3 draws, 4 losses).
- In 6 of their last 8 away games in this tournament, Rostov did not concede more than one goal.
Predicted lineup for Rostov (4-4-2)
Rustam Yatimov – Dmitry Chistyakov, Viktor Melekhin, Ilya Vakhania, David Semenchuk – Konstantin Kuchaev, Alexey Mironov, Kirill Shchetinin, Mohammad Mohebi – Ronaldo, Timur Suleymanov.
Defender Eyad El-Askalani is injured.
Referee
Yevgeny Bulanov (Russia)
Matches – 8 (RPL, 2024/25 - 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 30;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.7;
Red cards shown – 4;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 13%.
Match Prediction: Baltika vs. Rostov
Bookmakers continue to rate the Kaliningrad side highly. Andrey Talalaev's team has repeatedly shown their best side, and their excellent results allow Baltika to be the closest pursuer of league leaders Krasnodar, whom they lead by 8 points in the standings. At home in the current championship, Kaliningrad has earned 5 of their 16 points. However, in their last two home matches, the team drew with Lokomotiv and Zenit, with the latter creating only two goal-scoring opportunities. A solid defense will be key to a positive outcome in the upcoming match.
Rostov, on the other hand, has earned 7 of their 8 points in the RPL 2025/26 at home. Away, the team has not won in 7 consecutive Premier League matches (3 draws, 4 losses), but in 5 of these matches, Rostov did not concede more than one goal. Jonathan Alba's side looks modest in attack, having scored only 8 goals in the current championship, a tally bettered by only three other teams. Such scoring output will not be enough to win against one of the tournament's best defenses.
Considering these facts, my prediction: Baltika will not lose and Total under 2.5 goals
