The Matchday 20 clash in the MIR Russian Premier League between CSKA and Khimki will take place on March 8 at the VEB Arena in Moscow. CSKA vs. Khimki: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
CSKA
In the last round, Marko Nikolić's side played out a goalless draw with Zenit away from home. As a result, CSKA has failed to win five of their last seven league matches (3 draws, 2 losses). However, they managed to keep a clean sheet in their last two RPL games. In the standings, the Moscow club sits sixth with 32 points. It's worth noting that the team has only won three home matches in the current Premier League season.
- The team has not won in 6 of their last 8 home matches in the Premier League (2 draws, 4 losses).
- CSKA has scored a maximum of one goal in 6 of their last 8 RPL matches.
- CSKA has conceded no more than one goal in 12 of their last 15 league games.
Predicted lineup for CSKA (4-3-3)
Igor Akinfeev – Moises Barbosa, Igor Diveev, Willian Rocha, Milan Gajić – Abbos Fayzullaev, Matvey Kislyak, Miralem Pjanić – Sekou Koita, Tamerlan Musaev, Ivan Oblyakov.
Before this round, the team was bolstered by the addition of midfielder Rodrigo Villagra.
Khimki
In the previous round, Francesc Artiga's side defeated Fakel at home (1-0). As a result, Khimki avoided defeat in 3 of their last 4 league matches (2 wins, 1 draw). Moreover, for the first time in seven previous Premier League encounters, the club managed to keep a clean sheet. In the standings, the team climbed to 12th position with 19 points. It is noteworthy that Khimki has conceded the most goals away from home in the current RPL season (22).
- The team has not won in 8 of their last 9 away matches in the Premier League (3 draws, 5 losses).
- At least three goals have been scored in 6 of the club's last 8 away RPL games.
- Both teams have scored in 6 of Khimki's last 7 league matches.
Predicted lineup for Khimki (4-5-1)
Nikita Kokarev – Dani Fernandez, Georgi Dzhikiya, Edgardo Farina, Alexander Filin – Zelimkhan Bakaev, Robert Mejia, Alex Corredera, Lucas Vera, Alexander Rudenko – Anton Zabolotny.
Defender Diego Luna will miss the match due to injury.
Referee
Rafael Shafeev (Russia)
Matches – 18 (RPL, 2023/24–2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 73;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.1;
Red cards shown – 4;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 22%.
CSKA vs. Khimki: Match Prediction
CSKA has struggled to achieve results recently and has not won at home for a while. However, they usually perform strongly and confidently in front of their fans. The team is particularly active in attack: in their last 31 home league matches, they failed to score in only five games, and in 18 of those, they scored at least two goals. However, in their last nine home RPL matches, the club managed to keep a clean sheet only three times.
Khimki has shown high scoring efficiency in recent away matches: in all four of their previous Premier League away games, Francesc Artiga's side found the net, scoring three goals against Lokomotiv. However, the club's defense has been unreliable, conceding in 12 of their last 13 away league matches.
I expect both teams to score in this encounter, so my prediction: Both teams to score – Yes
