The Matchday 18 clash in the Russian Premier League between Fakel and CSKA will take place on December 8 at the Fakel Stadium in Voronezh. Fakel vs. CSKA: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Kirill Levnikov (Russia)
Matches – 12 (RPL, 2023/24–2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 61;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.1;
Red cards shown – 4;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 17%.
Predicted lineups for Fakel vs. CSKA
Fakel (3-4-3): Vitaly Gudiev – Ryan Senhadji, Igor Kalinin, Igor Yurganov – Ilnur Alshin, Irakli Kvekveskiri, Vyacheslav Yakimov, Mohamed Brahimi – Dylan Mertens, Evgeny Markov, Alexey Kashtanov.
CSKA (3-4-3): Igor Akinfeev – Igor Diveev, Matvey Lukin, Moises Barbosa – Danil Krugovoy, Matvey Kislyak, Miralem Pjanic, Kellven – Abbos Faizullaev, Tamerlan Musaev, Ivan Oblyakov.
Each team's starting lineup from their previous match in this tournament is listed.
Fakel
Dmitry Pyatibratov's side drew 0-0 away to Dynamo Makhachkala in the last round. As a result, Fakel has avoided defeat in seven of their last eight RPL matches (1 win, 6 draws). Additionally, the club has kept six clean sheets in the current championship. In the standings, the Voronezh side has 14 points and sits in 14th place. Note the team's low scoring rate: 11 goals scored, which is the second-lowest in the current Premier League season.
- The club has drawn its last five home matches in the Premier League.
- The team has not scored more than one goal in their last eight home league matches.
- Both teams have scored in 5 of Fakel's last 7 RPL matches.
CSKA
In the last round, Marko Nikolic's side shared the spoils with Rubin at home (2-2). As a result, CSKA has failed to win in four of their last five league matches (2 draws, 2 losses). It's worth noting that this season, CSKA has conceded 14 goals in the RPL, with half of them coming in the last four matches. The Moscow side has 28 points and occupies sixth place in the standings, six points behind the top three.
- The team has not lost in 9 of their last 10 away matches in the RPL (7 wins, 2 draws).
- The club has scored exactly one or two goals in their last six away league matches.
- The number "1" appeared in the final score in 5 of CSKA's last 6 away matches in the Premier League.
Fakel vs. CSKA: Match Prediction
At home, the Voronezh side focuses heavily on playing defensively and minimizing mistakes at their own goal. As a result, even with the support of their fans, Fakel players rarely score: in the last 17 home league matches, the team has scored more than one goal only once. However, they give their opponents very few opportunities in attack: in 21 of the last 22 RPL home matches, Fakel has not conceded more than one goal, achieving 12 clean sheets in this stretch.
CSKA cannot boast high scoring away from home: in half of their eight away matches this season, the team has scored a maximum of one goal. Meanwhile, defensively, the Moscow side is solid: only once in away matches this season have they conceded more than one goal.
It is also worth noting that in the first-round match, the teams played to a 0-0 draw. I see no reason to expect a high-scoring encounter this time either, so my prediction: Total under 2.5 goals
