Ural – Zenit

Zenit should win with a comfortable one-two goals margin

Zenit will play away against Ural in the seventh round of the Russian Football League. The reigning Russian champion regained the lead after beating Torpedo. The match against the Black and Whites was very difficult. The hosts attacked throughout the game, but scored the winning goal only in the 84th minute. Without Claudinho, there are obvious difficulties in penetrating a tight defence. At the same time, Torpedo's defensive depth also played a part. The out-sider literally had the whole team at their own penalty area. Ural are unlikely to opt for such a closed down model though. Zenit are still without Claudinho. At the same time, Karavaev is back in the squad. Semak is no longer shy about using only two Russian players with Russian passports when it comes to field players. All the other positions are filled by foreigners. Zenit do not look an ideal and invulnerable team at the start of the Russian championship. In their away matches, the team have already suffered two losses. The Pitmen failed to crack the Akhmat defence and lost points against Khimki. Both games ended in a tie for the total score. The scenario for away games involving Zenit has not changed for a relatively long time. The team plays for results, not trying to smash their shutout opponents. The favorite does not shy away from holding its ground. In St Petersburg, Zenit always have a more attacking and risky model. Ural are currently the worst club in the RPL, along with Torpedo. In six games, the team from Ekaterinburg have managed to score only one point. This is an objective reflection of the quality of Ural's play. Theoretically, the club could count on more against Krasnodar and Orenburg, but in the first case the team was ruined by refereeing, and in the second - by an absurd violation of their own player, who received a red card. The only point Ural got on the road against Fakel, who also have no wins. Our main hope now is the coaching genius of Goncharenko. The Belarusian specialist joined the team on the eve of the game against Nizhny Novgorod. So far it hasn't helped. The club suffered a very painful defeat at the hands of their direct rival, and on home soil. Again there were problems with discipline. Another bizarre suspension happened in the second half. Another objective factor against Ural is the level of performance. In summer, the outsider practically without any reinforcements, but lost several important internationals. In attack, the only hope is Bikfalvi, but the veteran is 34 years old and his level has dropped objectively. Zenit should take three easy points in Ekaterinburg.