The Matchday 26 clash in the Russian Premier League between Rubin and Fakel will take place on April 27 at the Ak Bars Arena in Kazan. Rubin vs. Fakel: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Rubin
Rashid Rakhimov's side was outplayed by Dynamo Moscow on their turf last round (1-3). As a result, Rubin suffered just their second defeat in the last six league matches (the other being an away loss to Zenit). During this period, the team secured three wins and one draw. Notably, in 7 of their last 9 RPL matches, the club failed to keep a clean sheet. In the standings, the Kazan team dropped to eighth place with 36 points, overtaken by Rostov.
- The team has not lost in 6 of their last 7 home matches in the RPL (4 wins, 2 draws).
- The club scored exactly one or two goals in 6 of their last 8 home league matches.
- Rubin has not conceded more than one goal in 6 of their last 7 home Premier League matches.
Predicted lineup for Rubin (4-4-2)
Evgeny Staver – Dmitry Kabutov, Alexey Gritsaenko, Igor Vujacic, Egor Teslenko – Veldin Hodja, Ruslan Bezrukov, Ugochukwu Iwu, Bogdan Yochich – Dardan Shabanhadzaj, Mirlind Daku.
Midfielder Bogdan Yochich and forward Dardan Shabanhadzaj may miss the match due to injuries. Forward Mirlind Daku is suspended.
Fakel
Igor Shalimov's side was defeated by Rostov at home with a score of 0-2 in the last round. This marks Fakel's seventh defeat in the last eight league matches. Additionally, the team extended their goalless streak in the Premier League to nine matches. In this RPL season, the club has scored only 11 goals, making them the worst in this category by a significant margin. In the standings, the Voronezh team dropped to last place with 15 points.
- The club has not won in 16 of their last 17 away matches in the Premier League (3 draws, 13 losses).
- No more than one goal was scored in 5 of their last 7 away league matches.
- The Voronezh team did not concede in the first half in 5 of their last 7 away RPL matches.
Predicted lineup for Fakel (5-3-2)
Vitaly Gudiev – Igor Yurganov, Sergey Bozhin, Max Dzhiov, Igor Kalinin, Dylan Mertens – Irakli Kvekveskiri, Mohamed Brahimi, Nikita Motspan – Vladimir Ilyin, Alexey Kashtanov.
Midfielder Dylan Mertens is suspended.
Referee
Roman Safyan (Russia)
Matches – 6 (RPL, 2023/24–2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 23;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.8;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 83%.
Match Prediction for Rubin vs. Fakel
In this match, Rubin appears to be the favorite, but Rashid Rakhimov's side might face challenges breaking through the opponent's defense. Even at home, Rubin is not known for high scoring: in their last nine home league matches, the team managed to score more than one goal only three times. The previous encounter at Kazan's field in the RPL was also tough (1-0).
Fakel is trying to climb off the bottom of the standings and fight to stay in the Premier League. Therefore, the team can put up a strong resistance. This was the case in 4 of their last 5 away league matches, where the Voronezh team did not allow their opponents to score more than once. However, Fakel struggles in attack: the club has not scored in their last five away matches.
In my opinion, the most appealing bet for this match is on a low total. My prediction: Total under 2.5 goals
* The starting lineup for each team is based on their last match in this tournament.
