The Matchday 3 clash in the Russian Premier League between Zenit and CSKA will take place on August 3 at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg. Zenit vs. CSKA: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Zenit
Sergei Semak's side shared the spoils with Rubin (2-2) in the previous round. Notably, Zenit squandered a two-goal lead in the league for the first time since 2016. The St. Petersburg team ended a five-match winning streak in the RPL but extended their scoring run to 13 games. However, for the first time in 11 previous Premier League games, they conceded more than one goal. The club currently sits in 6th place on the league table.
- Zenit is unbeaten in 11 league matches (8 wins, 3 draws).
- Zenit has scored exactly 1 or 2 goals in 7 of their last 8 RPL games.
- In 7 of their previous home matches in this tournament, the club has not conceded more than one goal.
Predicted lineup for Zenit (4-5-1)
Yevgeny Latyshonok – Douglas Santos, Vanja Drkusic, Nino, Gustavo Mantuan – Gerson Santos, Wilmar Barrios, Luciano Gondou, Pedro Henrique, Andrey Mostovoy – Mateo Cassierra.
Defender Vyacheslav Karavaev is injured.
- Zenit players made 88% accurate passes – the best performance in the second round.
- The team had the second-best defensive duel success rate in the last round at 58%.
- Zenit shared the top spot in the second round for successful technical and tactical actions at 82%.
CSKA
The Army Men couldn't spoil Igor Akinfeev's milestone, as he played his 800th match for CSKA, and secured a comeback victory over Akhmat (2-1) in the previous round. Danil Krugovoy scored a brace. The Moscow side has won 9 of their last 13 league matches (4 draws), scoring at least two goals in 8 of those games. With 4 points, the team is currently 8th in the overall standings.
- CSKA has not conceded more than one goal in 12 of their last 13 away league matches.
- The Army Men are unbeaten in 13 away RPL matches (8 wins, 5 draws).
- CSKA has scored in 5 of their last 6 away games in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for CSKA (4-4-2)
Igor Akinfeev – Moises Barbosa, Igor Diveev, Matvey Lukin, Milan Gajic – Mateus Alves, Matvey Kislyak, Ivan Oblyakov, Danil Krugovoy – Allerrandro, Tamerlan Musaev.
Midfielder Rodrigo Vilagra and forward Artem Shumansky are injured. Midfielder Lionel Verde has joined the club, while his counterpart Abbos Faizullaev will continue his career in Turkey, and Maxim Mukhin has moved to Sochi.
Zenit vs. CSKA Match Prediction
Both teams remain unbeaten in the first two rounds. In general, these opponents rarely lose recently: Zenit has suffered only one defeat in the RPL this calendar year, while CSKA has not lost at all. A clash between clubs with such records is likely to be intense. Nevertheless, in the upcoming match, my preference is with the St. Petersburg side, which has not lost to CSKA in 14 of their last 15 home Premier League encounters (8 wins, 6 draws).
However, the Moscow side will undoubtedly put up a fight. The Army Men will rely on their defense: the club has not conceded more than one goal in 12 of their last 13 away league matches, including a goalless draw with Zenit. Meanwhile, Zenit also boasts a strong defense. In their last 7 home RPL games, the team has conceded only three goals.
Additionally, no more than 3 goals have been scored in the last 6 head-to-head encounters at Zenit's home ground in the league. This is another factor supporting the prediction "Zenit will not lose and Total under 3.5 goals".
