Sochi Form
The trip to Kaliningrad ended in a 0:4 defeat for Sochi. Even fouls did not help them contain the opposition’s attacks: the southerners broke the rules 18 times (14 on average). The team suffered a fifth straight defeat in the league, and Igor Osinkin’s men also saw their four-match scoring run come to an end. In addition, Sochi have conceded at least three goals for the 10th time this season. Overall, the club have shipped 52 goals – the worst defensive record in the league. In the standings, Sochi are bottom.
- At least three goals were scored in Sochi’s previous five matches in the Russian Premier League.
- On home soil, the team have been unable to win for six straight league games (1 draw, 5 defeats).
- In five of their last six home matches in the Premier League, the club conceded first.
Potential Sochi Lineup (3-4-3)
Aleksandr Degtev – Vyacheslav Litvinov, Sergey Volkov, Aleksandr Soldatenkov – Anton Zinkovskiy, Maksim Mukhin, Aleksandr Kovalenko, Dmitriy Vasilyev – Martin Kramaric, Francois Kamano, Mikhail Ignatov.
Defenders Yahya Attiyat-Allah and Nemanja Stojic are injured. Defender Kirill Zaika is suspended.
Rubin Kazan Form
The Kazan side took maximum points from matches against Krasnodar and Lokomotiv Moscow, but were unable to beat the Samara team in the last round – 0:0. The team saw a three-match scoring run in the Russian Premier League come to an end, and by many attacking metrics this game was among Rubin Kazan’s worst performances of the season. On the plus side, they have now kept two consecutive clean sheets, and the only longer run without conceding for the Kazan club came in November. Frank Artiga’s men moved up to seventh in the table, maintaining a nine-point cushion over the relegation play-off zone.
- The team scored more than one goal in just two of their last 11 Premier League matches (meaning they scored no more than once in nine of those games).
- Away from home in this competition, Rubin Kazan have lost five of their last seven matches (2 draws).
- The Kazan side conceded in eight of their last 10 away games in the Russian Premier League.
Potential Rubin Kazan Lineup (5-4-1)
Evgeniy Staver – Igor Vujacic, Ilya Rozhkov, Anderson Aroyo, Denil Maldonado, Egor Teslenko – Daler Kuzyayev, Nazmi Gripshi, Ruslan Bezrukov, Veldin Hodza – Zhak Sive.
Midfielders Ugochukwu Iwu and Anton Shvets, as well as forward Dardan Shabanhaxhaj, are recovering from injuries. Mirlind Daku has returned to training with the main group.
Match Officials
Nikita Novikov (Russia)
Matches – 15 (the First League, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 75;
Average yellow cards per match – 5;
Red cards shown – 2;
Fouls per match (average) – 31;
Penalties – 20%.
