The Matchday 20 clash in the Russian Premier League between Fakel and Zenit will take place on March 8 at the Fakel Stadium in Voronezh. Fakel vs. Zenit: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Fakel
Dmitry Pyatibratov's side suffered a 0-1 away defeat to Khimki in the last round. As a result, Fakel extended their winless streak in the league to seven matches (4 draws, 3 losses). Additionally, the club has failed to score in three consecutive RPL matches. In the standings, Voronezh has dropped to the penultimate position with 14 points. Notably, the club has scored the fewest goals in the current championship – 11 goals.
- The club has not won in their last six home Premier League matches (5 draws, 1 loss).
- The team has not scored more than one goal in nine previous home league matches.
- Exactly one or two goals have been scored in 7 of Fakel's last 10 home matches in the RPL.
Predicted lineup for Fakel (3-4-3)
Alexander Belenov – Sergey Bozhin, Max Dziov, Igor Yurganov – Ilnur Alshin, Irakli Kvekveskiri, Andrey Ivlev, Anton Kovalev – Alexander Lomovitsky, Vladimir Ilyin, Dylan Mertens.
Midfielder Irakli Kvekveskiri will not play due to injury.
Zenit
In the last round, Sergey Semak's side could not determine a winner in their home clash with CSKA (0-0). As a result, Zenit failed to win their third consecutive league match (1 draw, 2 losses) – marking the club's longest such streak in the current RPL season. Furthermore, the team left the field without scoring for only the third time in the current championship. Nevertheless, the St. Petersburg team managed to climb to the top of the standings, but Spartak and Krasnodar have the same number of points and are only behind Zenit due to additional criteria.
- The club has won 8 of their last 10 away league matches.
- No more than three goals have been scored in 6 of the team's last 7 away RPL matches.
- The St. Petersburg team has kept a clean sheet in 6 of their last 9 away Premier League matches.
Predicted lineup for Zenit (4-1-4-1)
Evgeny Latyshonok – Vanya Drkushich, Strahinja Erakovic, Nino, Douglas Santos – Wilmar Barrios – Gustavo Mantuan, Luciano Gondou, Maxim Glushenkov, Andrey Mostovoy – Mateo Cassierra.
Defender Vyacheslav Karavaev will not play due to injury.
Referee
Vitaly Meshkov (Russia)
Matches – 9 (RPL, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 41;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.6;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 28;
Penalties – 22%.
Fakel vs. Zenit: Match Prediction
Voronezh puts up a fight against opponents of any level at home and battles for points until the end. As a result, Fakel often manages to get positive results: in the last eight home league matches, the club has lost only once, suffering a defeat to CSKA 0-1 in their last home game before the winter break. Additionally, during this stretch, the team managed not to lose to Krasnodar (0-0) and Moscow Dynamo (1-1). Moreover, Voronezh has conceded more than one goal at home in only one of their last 23 RPL matches.
The St. Petersburg team is among the leaders in the standings, but their results have recently declined. Away games are challenging for Sergey Semak's side, and convincing victories are rare: in the last seven away Premier League matches, Zenit has won by more than one goal only twice. During this period, the team dropped points against Khimki (1-1) and struggled to defeat the underdogs – Akhmat (2-1) and Orenburg (1-0).
I believe Voronezh will put up a worthy resistance against Zenit at home. My prediction: Fakel with a handicap (+1.5)
