The Matchday 5 clash in the Russian Premier League between Dynamo Moscow and CSKA will take place on August 17 at the VTB Arena. Dynamo Moscow vs. CSKA: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Dynamo Moscow
In their previous match, the team shared points away with Sochi (1-1). Dynamo has only one win in their last five league matches (2 draws, 2 losses). Notably, they haven't scored more than one goal in this period. However, against Sochi, Valery Karpin's side was very active, posting the best numbers of the round in shots on goal (28) and corners (11). The team has climbed to 9th place in the overall standings.
- No more than two goals have been scored in 5 of Dynamo's last 7 RPL games.
- At home, the club has won 8 of their last 10 league matches (2 draws).
- The team has not conceded more than one goal in their last 11 home Premier League matches.
Projected lineup for Dynamo Moscow (4-3-3)
Andrey Lunev – Rubens Dias, Maksim Osipenko, Nicolas Marichal, Juan Caseres – Daniil Fomin, Bitello, Danil Glebov – Ivan Sergeev, Mumi Ngamale, Yaroslav Gladyshev.
Injured for the Moscow side are forwards Konstantin Tyukavin, Artur Gomes, defenders Milan Majstorovic, Roberto Fernandez, Diego Laxalt, and midfielder Luis Chavez. Defender Maksim Osipenko and forwards El-Mehdi Mauhub, Yaroslav Gladyshev have recovered from injuries.
CSKA
In the last round, the "Army Men" secured a resounding home victory over Rubin (5-1). This extended their unbeaten run in the league to 18 matches (11 wins, 7 draws), with only two games in this period where CSKA failed to score. Fabio Celestini's side has conceded goals in their last three RPL matches. In the standings, the club has moved up to 3rd place.
- CSKA has scored exactly 1 or 2 goals in 6 of their last 7 away Premier League matches.
- They have not lost in their last 14 away league games (8 wins, 6 draws).
- In 13 of their last 14 away games in this tournament, the "Army Men" have not conceded more than one goal.
Projected lineup for CSKA (4-4-2)
Igor Akinfeev – Moises Barbosa, Igor Diveev, Matvey Lukin, Milan Gajic – Mateus Alves, Matvey Kislyak, Ivan Oblyakov, Danil Krugovoy – Tamerlan Musaev, Kirill Glebov.
Midfielder Rodrigo Vilagra and forwards Artem Shumansky and Alerandro are injured. Defender Willian Rocha has left the team. Meanwhile, midfielder Daniel Ruiz has joined the club.
Referee
Kirill Levnikov (Russia)
Matches – 22 (RPL, 2024/25 - 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 112;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.1;
Red cards shown – 8;
Average fouls per match – 26;
Penalties – 41%.
Match Prediction: Dynamo Moscow vs. CSKA
Valery Karpin's side managed to breach the worst defense of the current tournament only once. Dynamo created many chances, but their finishing needs improvement. An overcrowded injury list and adaptation to the new coach's demands are also reasons why the capital club has yet to score more than one goal in this championship. However, they allow little to opponents at their own goal: by xGA, the team is in the top-3 of the tournament.
Fabio Celestini's side showed fantastic finishing in the last round. But usually, CSKA limits itself to one or two goals. The club's defense is also stable: in the last 17 RPL matches, only Lokomotiv has scored more than one goal against the "Army Men."
I expect the derby to be a closely contested battle with few goals scored. I don't anticipate a second consecutive goal-fest from CSKA. Dynamo simply won't allow it. My prediction: Total under 3
