Roberto Mancini’s Zenit St. Petersburg travel to Rubin Kazan on Sunday evening in the hope of recovering from a damaging defeat to title rivals Lokomotiv Moscow last time out, while the home side are themselves in need of three points if they are to have a chance of qualifying for next season’s Europa League. With two of Russia’s biggest names going head-to-head, there could well be fireworks at the Kazan Arena this weekend.
Russian Premier League – Kazan Arena, Kazan – Sunday 5th November – 16:00 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 2 at Skybet |
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Rubin Kazan
Zenit St PetersburgMatch Preview
After being defeated by FC Ufa on Monday evening, Rubin Kazan will be hoping to return to winning ways when they take on Zenit St. Petersburg at the weekend. However, with their title-chasing opponents having been embarrassed on their own turf by rivals Lokomotiv last time around, manager Mancini will be looking for a major response from his team. Such factors meant that it could well be a tight affair in Kazan, with both teams battling for the win. As a result, there are a number of appealing betting markets to utilise before kick-off, with our top betting tip well worth considering.
Rubin Kazan Team News & Form
Just one win in their last five matches has left Rubin in mid-table, with manager Kurban Berdyev under pressure to deliver in one of the biggest games of the season in Russia. His team have one of the best defensive records in the division, however a lack of goals has severely hindered his team. Striker Gokdeniz Karadeniz was on target in their recent 2-1 defeat against FC Ufa last time out, however the likes of Maksim Kanunnikov and Sardar Azmoun have both struggled in front of goal. Former Arsenal and Barcelona man Alex Song is likely to miss out for the home side, however Yann M’Vila and Roben Rochina help to make up a competitive midfield.
Zenit St. Petersburg Team News & Form
Roberto Martinez has seen his team falter in recent weeks, with just one win in five Premier League matches seeing Lokomotiv leapfrog them in the standings. However, the attacking partnership of Aleksandr Kokorin and Emiliano Rigoni means that they are a team always in with a chance, with Zenit needing to return to winning ways before it is too late. Mancini has a wealth of talent to select from for the game, with former Serie A talents including Captain Domenico Criscito and midfielder Leandro Paredes among the best players in Russia at present.
Head to Head
The two teams have met a total of 28 times over the years, with Zenit having won on 12 of those occasions, whilst drawing seven. However, Rubin have defeated their rivals nine times, showing that they can be more than a match for them on their day. It is worth bearing in mind however, that Zenit took six points from Rubin last season.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Despite their home advantage, Rubin are still the underdogs for victory with the majority of online bookmakers. The home side can be backed at best odds of 3 with Ladbrokes, with Ladbrokes offers the visitors odds of 11/10. Elsewhere, betting on both teams to score is worth considering, with odds of 1/2 available at Ladbrokes.
Top Betting Tip
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on there being under 2.5 goals during the game, which can be found at best odds of 13/10 at Ladbrokes.