The Matchday 17 clash in the Russian Premier League between Zenit and Rubin will take place on November 30 at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg. Zenit vs. Rubin: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Zenit
The St. Petersburg team secured a 2-0 away victory over Pari NN in the last round, marking their fourth win in the last five league matches (1 draw). In all these victories, the team scored at least twice. Zenit kept a clean sheet for the seventh time in the 2025/26 RPL season, with only Krasnodar (8) and Baltika (10) having more. Zenit is also behind only these teams in terms of the fewest goals conceded. In the standings, Sergei Semak's side has climbed to second place, reducing the gap to the leader to just one point.
- The team has opened the scoring in 6 of their last 8 Premier League games.
- At home, Zenit has won 11 of their last 12 league matches (1 draw).
- In 5 consecutive home league matches, the club has scored at least two goals.
Predicted lineup for Zenit (4-5-1)
Denis Adamov – Strahinja Erakovic, Nuraly Alip, Gustavo Mantuan, Roman Vega – Maxim Glushenkov, Wilmar Barrios, Gerson Santos, Wendel, Andrey Mostovoy, Luis Enrique – Pedro Enirique.
Defender Douglas Santos is sidelined. Forward Mateo Cassierra has recovered from an injury.
Rubin
Rubin ended a four-match winless streak in the Premier League (2 draws, 2 losses) with a 1-0 victory over Akhmat in the last round, scoring their first goal in this period. The team has kept clean sheets in their last three RPL matches, last achieving a longer streak in November 2023. Rashid Rakhimov's side is in 7th place in the standings, but Rubin is the only team in the top half with a negative goal difference – 16:19.
- At least one opponent has failed to score in Rubin's last 7 Premier League matches.
- The team has not won in their last 6 away Premier League games (3 draws, 3 losses).
- Rubin has scored in 12 of their last 14 league encounters at Zenit's home ground.
Predicted lineup for Rubin (4-5-1)
Evgeny Staver – Igor Vujacic, Konstantin Nizhegorodov, Anderson Arroyo, Egor Teslenko – Veldin Hodja, Ilya Rozhkov, Daler Kuzyaev, Ruslan Bezrukov, Bogdan Jochich – Dardan Shabanhadjaj.
Defenders Alexey Gritsaenko, Denil Maldonado, midfielders Uguchukwu Iwu, Anton Shvets are injured. Forward Mirlind Daku is suspended.
Referee
Artem Chistyakov (Russia)
Matches – 8 (RPL, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 24;
Average yellow cards per match – 3;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 31;
Penalties – 50%.
Zenit vs. Rubin: Match Prediction
In the first round, Rubin salvaged a draw thanks to Mirlind Daku's 90th-minute goal. In the upcoming match, the forward will be absent due to suspension. Despite not being in top form, Daku accounts for more than half of the team's goals, making it challenging for Rubin to breach Zenit's defense. Zenit has not conceded more than one goal in their last six Premier League games. Meanwhile, Rashid Rakhimov's side has not scored in their last three away league matches.
Zenit has a strong record against Rubin, winning 5 of their last 7 RPL encounters (1 draw, 1 loss). Considering Zenit's home performance, Rubin's chances of improving their record are slim. Sergei Semak's side has won 11 of their last 12 home league matches, keeping a clean sheet in half of those games.
Considering these facts, my prediction: Zenit to win and Total under 3.5 goals
