The Matchday 19 clash in the Russian Premier League between Zenit and CSKA will take place on March 1 at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg. Zenit vs. CSKA: prediction, betting odds, statistics.
Zenit
Sergey Semak's side unexpectedly lost 1-2 at home to Akron in the last round. As a result, Zenit suffered two consecutive defeats in the league, although they had only one loss in the first 16 matches of the current Premier League season. Additionally, the club conceded more than one goal in two consecutive matches for the first time this season. In the standings, Zenit has 39 points and is in second place, trailing leaders Krasnodar only on goal difference. Notably, Zenit has scored the most goals in the current RPL season (37).
- The club has not lost in 8 of their last 10 home matches in the RPL (6 wins, 2 draws).
- Both teams scored in 5 of Zenit's last 6 home league matches.
- No more than three goals have been scored in 6 of Zenit's last 8 home matches in the Premier League.
Projected lineup for Zenit (4-1-4-1)
Yevgeny Latyshonok – Gustavo Mantuan, Rodrigao, Nino, Douglas Santos – Wilmar Barrios – Sasa Zdjelar, Luis Henrique, Maxim Glushenkov, Andrey Mostovoy – Mateo Cassierra.
Defender Vyacheslav Karavaev will miss the game due to injury, while midfielder Wendel is suspended. During the winter break, midfielder Claudinho and forward Artur left the club, while defender Ognen Mimovic, midfielder Sasa Zdjelar, and forward Luis Henrique joined the team. Defender Vanya Drkusic also returned from loan.
CSKA
In the last round, Marco Nikolic's side defeated Fakel 1-0 away. This victory was only CSKA's second in the last six league matches (2 draws, 2 losses). Additionally, the club ended a four-match streak of conceding goals in the RPL – the longest such run for them this season. In the standings, the Moscow team has 31 points and remains in sixth place. Notably, the team has earned 20 points in away matches this season – the second-best in the Premier League.
- The team has not lost in 10 of their last 11 away matches in the RPL (8 wins, 2 draws).
- The club scored exactly one or two goals in their last seven away league matches.
- CSKA has not conceded more than one goal in their last six away matches in the Premier League.
Projected lineup for CSKA (4-3-3)
Igor Akinfeev – Moises Barbosa, Igor Diveev, Willian Rocha, Kellven – Kristijan Bistrovic, Matvey Kislyak, Miralem Pjanic – Sekou Koita, Tamerlan Musaev, Ivan Oblyakov.
Notably, during the winter, goalkeeper Ilya Pomazun, defender Ilya Agapov, and midfielder Sasa Zdjelar left the team. The only addition to the squad is forward Alerandro.
Referee
Sergey Ivanov (Russia)
Matches – 10 (RPL, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 31;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.1;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 25;
Penalties – 30%.
Match Prediction: Zenit vs. CSKA
Zenit tends to dominate at home against opponents of any level, spending much time in attack. They have no issues with scoring and have found the net regularly: in their last ten home RPL matches, Sergey Semak's team failed to score only against Spartak. However, their defensive reliability has decreased recently: in 5 of their last 6 home league matches, Zenit failed to keep a clean sheet, conceding a total of five goals against Krylia Sovetov and Akron – teams from the lower half of the table.
CSKA may not always shine with attacking play, but scoring goals even away has become routine for the club: in their last 15 away Premier League matches, CSKA players failed to score only once. In eight instances during this stretch, the team scored at least twice. Additionally, the club scored in 4 of their last 5 head-to-head encounters at Zenit's ground in the league.
I expect a high-scoring game from both teams, so my prediction: Both teams to score – Yes
