The Matchday 19 clash in the Russian Premier League between Khimki and Fakel will take place on March 2 at the Khimki Arena. Khimki vs. Fakel: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Khimki
In the previous round, Francesc Artigas's side suffered a 1-4 defeat away to Dynamo Moscow. As a result, Khimki has failed to win in 5 of their last 6 league matches (2 draws, 3 losses). Furthermore, the team has conceded at least three goals for the seventh time this season in the Premier League. In the standings, the club has 16 points and sits in 13th place. Notably, Khimki has conceded 35 goals in the current championship – the most of any team.
- The team has not won in 10 of their last 11 home matches in the Premier League (5 draws, 5 losses).
- The club scored in 6 of their previous 8 home league matches.
- Khimki has failed to score in the first half in 8 of their last 9 home league games.
Predicted lineup for Khimki (4-5-1)
Nikita Kokarev – Dani Fernandez, Georgi Dzhikia, 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. During the winter break, defenders Sergey Terekhov and Nemanja Andjelkovic, midfielders Khetag Khosonov and Denis Glushakov left the club, and forward Kirill Panchenko retired.
Fakel
Dmitry Pyatibratov's side lost 0-1 at home to CSKA. This marked Fakel's sixth consecutive match without a win in the Premier League (4 draws, 2 losses). Additionally, the club failed to score for the ninth time in the current championship. The team from Voronezh is in 14th place in the standings with 14 points. Notably, Fakel, along with Dynamo Makhachkala, is one of the two clubs that have scored the fewest goals this season in the Premier League (11 each).
- The club has not won in 12 of their last 13 away matches in the Premier League (3 draws, 9 losses).
- The team has conceded at least two goals in 8 of their last 10 away league matches.
- At least three goals have been scored in 5 of Fakel's last 7 away matches in the Premier League.
Predicted lineup for Fakel (3-4-3)
Alexander Belenov – Ryan Senghadji, Max Dziov, Igor Yurganov – Ilnur Alshin, Irakli Kvekveskiri, Mikhail Schetinin, Mohamed Brahimi – Alexander Lomovitsky, Nikolai Giorgobiani, Alexey Kashtanov.
During the winter break, defender Vladislav Masternoy, midfielder Thabo Selo, and forward Evgeny Markov left the club. Meanwhile, defender Albert Gabaraev and forwards Alexander Lomovitsky and Belaidi Pousi joined the team.
Referee
Yevgeny Kukulyak (Russia)
Matches – 5 (Premier League, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 17;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.4;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 0%.
Match Prediction: Khimki vs. Fakel
In only three of their last home matches have Francesc Artigas's side shown high scoring, which is unusual for Khimki. Before this, the team failed to score more than one goal in eight consecutive home league matches, and in four cases, they left the field without finding the net.
Fakel prefers to play defensively and spends little time in attack. In their last 13 away matches in the Premier League, the club has managed to score more than once only once, and in seven of these games, the team from Voronezh failed to break through the opponents' defense. Additionally, in the last three encounters between these teams in the Premier League, more than two goals have not been scored.
I do not expect high scoring in this match, so my prediction: Total under 2.5 goals
