The Matchday 4 clash in the RPL between CSKA and Rubin will take place on August 9 at the VEB Arena in Moscow. CSKA vs. Rubin: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
CSKA
The "Army Men" shared the spoils with Zenit in their last away match (1-1). CSKA is unbeaten in 17 consecutive league matches (10 wins, 7 draws), their longest streak since 2015 when they went 21 games without a loss. Notably, during this period, the Moscow club has conceded more than one goal only once. Fabio Celestini's side currently sits in 8th place in the standings, having scored the fewest goals among the top half of the table – 3.
- In 9 of their last 10 league matches, the Moscow side has scored exactly 1 or 2 goals.
- At home, the "Army Men" have won 6 of their last 7 RPL matches (1 draw).
- The team has opened the scoring in 7 of their last 9 home games in the Premier League.
Predicted lineup for CSKA (4-4-2)
Igor Akinfeev – Moises Barbosa, Igor Diveev, Matvey Lukin, Milan Gajic – Mateus Alves, Matvey Kislyak, Ivan Oblyakov, Danil Krugovoy – Allerandro, Kirill Glebov.
Midfielder Rodrigo Villagra and forward Artem Shumansky are injured. Defender Kellven has left the team.
Rubin
Rashid Rakhimov's side defeated Sochi in their last match thanks to a brace from Mirlind Daku (2-1). The Kazan team remains unbeaten in the current championship (2 wins, 1 draw), having scored exactly two goals in each match. Moreover, Rubin has scored at least twice in five consecutive league matches. However, they have kept a clean sheet only once during this period. The team currently holds 4th place in the standings.
- Rubin has not lost in 5 of their last 6 RPL matches (4 wins, 1 draw).
- In 7 of their last 9 away games in this tournament, the Kazan side has conceded at least two goals.
- Rubin scored against their upcoming opponent in 8 of their last 9 league encounters.
Predicted lineup for Rubin (5-3-2)
Evgeny Staver – Ruslan Bezrukov, Egor Teslenko, Igor Vujacic, Alexey Gritsaenko, Dmitry Kabutov – Veldin Hodja, Ugochukwu Iwu, Alexander Yukić – Dardan Shabanhadjai, Mirlind Daku.
Defender Ilya Rozhkov was injured in the last round.
Referee
Vladimir Moskalev (Russia)
Matches – 12 (RPL, 2024/25 - 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 49;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.1;
Red cards shown – 5;
Average fouls per match – 26;
Penalties – 17%.
Match Prediction: CSKA vs. Rubin
Bookmakers favor the "Army Men" in this matchup, although the Moscow club has not beaten the Kazan side in their last four encounters. Given the underestimation of Rubin, I suggest focusing on Rashid Rakhimov's team's scoring abilities.
Rubin holds the fourth-best scoring record in the current championship. Furthermore, their goal-scoring streak in the RPL extends back to early April, covering 11 matches. In their last five games, Rubin has scored at least twice. The team doesn't create many chances, but their conversion rate is the third-best in the league.
CSKA kept a clean sheet only in the first round, thanks to Igor Akinfeev's excellent performance. I believe the "Army Men's" defense will struggle to contain Rubin, who has scored against CSKA in their last five RPL meetings at their home ground.
My prediction: Rubin Individual Total Over 0.5
