The Matchday 22 clash in the Russian Premier League between Zenit and Rubin will take place on March 30 at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg. Zenit vs. Rubin: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Zenit
Sergei Semak's side suffered a 1-2 defeat away to Spartak in the last round. In that match, the St. Petersburg team managed only three shots on goal – their lowest tally in the RPL since 2019. As a result, Zenit failed to win for the fourth time in their last five league matches (1 draw, 3 losses). In the standings, the club has dropped to third place, trailing Spartak only on goal difference. Notably, Zenit has collected only 18 points at home this Premier League season, ranking just sixth in this regard.
- The club has not lost in 9 of their last 11 home matches in the RPL (6 wins, 3 draws).
- The team has conceded in 5 of their last 7 home league games.
- No more than three goals have been scored in 7 of Zenit's last 9 home matches in the Premier League.
Projected lineup for Zenit (4-5-1)
Evgeny Latyshonok – Gustavo Mantuan, Strahinja Erakovic, Nino, Douglas Santos – Sasha Zdjelar, Maksim Glushenkov, Wilmar Barrios, Luis Henrique, Mateo Cassierra – Luciano Gondou.
Defender Vyacheslav Karavaev will miss the game due to injury.
Rubin
Last round, Rashid Rakhimov's side defeated Pari NN 1-0 at home. As a result, Rubin secured back-to-back wins for the second time this RPL season. Additionally, the team kept a clean sheet for the first time in five league matches. In the standings, Kazan has accumulated 32 points and climbed to seventh place, overtaking Rostov. It's worth noting that Rubin has collected 15 points in away matches this Premier League season – only four clubs have a better record.
- The team has not lost in 7 of their last 10 away league matches (4 wins, 3 draws).
- The club has conceded exactly one or two goals in 9 of their last 10 away league games.
- Both opponents have scored in 9 of Rubin's last 12 away matches in the RPL.
Projected lineup for Rubin (4-4-2)
Evgeny Staver – Alexey Gritsaenko, Egor Teslenko, Igor Vujacic, Ilya Rozhkov – Veldin Hodja, Oleg Ivanov, Ruslan Bezrukov, Nikita Vasilyev – Dardan Shabanhadjai, Marvin Chuni.
Referee
Pavel Kukuyan (Russia)
Matches – 12 (RPL, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 50;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.2;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 29;
Penalties – 25%.
Match Prediction: Zenit vs. Rubin
Zenit is always expected to play an attacking game and create many goal-scoring opportunities, especially when Sergei Semak's team plays at home. In ten home matches this season, Zenit failed to break down only the defenses of CSKA and Spartak, scoring 16 goals in the remaining eight games. However, in their last five home RPL matches, the team has kept a clean sheet only once, conceding eight goals in that span.
Rubin also struggles defensively: in their last 12 away league encounters, the club has kept only one clean sheet, conceding exactly two goals in each of the last three away games. At the same time, Rubin has been effective in attack, scoring seven times in their last five away league matches.
I expect this encounter to be high-scoring, so my prediction: Total over 2.5 goals
