Zenit – Spartak M

Zenit is unlikely to beat Spartak in the first match of the season

Russia's football season officially kicks off on Saturday, July 9. Zenit take on Spartak St. Petersburg at home. The St Petersburg club have already won their first trophy, the Match Premier Cup. Sergei Semak's team did not show a perfect game. The competition was held in training mode. Zenit drew twice against Sochi and Nizhny Novgorod. In the final match they managed to defeat CSKA. We should not draw any global conclusions from this tournament, but Zenit still have a huge reserve in the Russian league. It is important that all the key foreign performers, despite the rumours, have remained at the club. Zelimkhan Bakayev has been a significant reinforcement. The striker has helped the team to increase the depth of the squad. Bookmakers have the odds of Zenit as the favorite of the season at 1.20. The St. Petersburg club is unbeaten at the distance. There is much less information on Spartak's preparation. The team preferred to gain form for the season in a closed format. There were no friendly games against opponents from the RPL. Three games against teams from the Russian National Football League is not an indicator of strength. Spartak scored three goals each against Enisey and Baltika, also drew with Alania 2-2. On the plus side, Spartak scored a total of eight goals, but the level of their opponents was no match for the Red and White. New coach Guillermo Abascal has stated that he plans to play with ball control. The three centre-back scheme will be replaced. Spartak have many questions about the staffing situation. Not all positions seem to be manned. In particular, there is no strong partner for Djikiji in the centre of defence. A decent alternative to Ayrton on the left flank has not been found yet. Victor Moses missed important training camp days and is still in limbo. The African could suspend his contract at any time. Despite all the problems, Spartak do not appear to be clear outsiders in St Petersburg. The odds on Zenit are getting smaller and smaller. That's a dynamic we need to take advantage of. Betting on Spartak is already being offered for a quote in the region of 7.00. This is the first official match of the season, there are quite a few surprises in Super Cup games. Spartak will have a special attitude and huge motivation. The condition of Zenit's legionnaires still raises questions amid rumors of their departure. Spartak will probably focus on playing second choice. Zenit had difficulties in games against organised opponents in the pre-season tournament. They will not take the trophy easily, defeat is unlikely.