Spartak M – Zenit

Spartak and Zenit are likely to focus on defence

Spartak will take on Zenit at home on Sunday 15 May in round 29 of the Russian Football League. There is no tournament motivation between the two opponents. "The Red and Whites have guaranteed their survival in the RPL. It will be difficult to rise above eighth place. The main task for the rest of the season is to prepare for the Russian Cup final. Zenit have secured the league title and are playing for joy. "The Red-Whites easily dealt with Enisey in the middle of the week. The Muscovites were significantly stronger - 3-0. Paolo Vanoli put in his best performance for Spartak. At the moment the winning streak stands at three games, but it is important to make allowances for the level of their opponents. Krylia Sovetov were beaten at home with a huge effort - 2-1. This was followed by a success in Ekaterinburg with three goals. Ural are one of the relegation contenders. In any case, there is positive movement in the team, albeit without a significant improvement in the quality of play. Zenit in 2022 are also not impressing the aesthetes. Calm victories in class. No one has really tested Zenit, with the exception of Sochi. Semak's charges, at the expense of individual skill, handled opponents from the middle and bottom of the table. The only significant setback was in the cup battle with Alaniya, but Semak rotated the squad there. There were quite a lot of reserves on the pitch. In the last match Zenit beat Khimki. Ivan Sergeyev scored again. The new forward ousted Artem Dzyuba. It is possible that the veteran will get his chance against the Red-Whites from the opening minutes. Zenit in Khimki broke their streak of four games with conceded goals. The bookmakers predictably single out the champion as the favourite. The odds are given at 2.00, which is fair enough. The expectation of a high-scoring game, on the other hand, raises questions. It's far from certain that an unmotivated game will produce plenty of goals. A close scenario is also quite likely. Spartak can close down after a quick goal. Zenit are also capable of cold-blooded second-string play. That said, you shouldn't expect any special mood either. Zenit are actually in celebratory mode. The club even put on a special concert after their win over Khimki. Spartak have their minds set on the cup final against Dynamo. Red-Whites would certainly not need any unnecessary injuries. It's not out of the question that the encounter will resemble a friendly from the training camp without much spectacle. The bookmakers have put the base total at three goals. That raises questions for any encounter in the RPL. The upper hand is not at all obvious. If we take away the anomalous encounter in St Petersburg (7-1) from the statistics of their head-to-head games, the teams have not broken a total of more than three goals in their last seven meetings before that.