Zenit – Krasnodar

Zenit will not be able to defeat Krasnodar

On Saturday, 11 November, the first round of the RPL closes beautifully. The intermediate champion of the half season will be determined in a face-to-face match between two top clubs. Krasnodar are still two points ahead of Zenit. The southerners have already had the best first round in their own history. The team has overcome the grandmaster mark of thirty points. Krasnodar after the first defeat of the season from CSKA raised morale. First, the second team defeated Spartak on the road and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Russian Cup. Next, they defeated Krylia Sovetov, having a big advantage in the game, but not in the score. The southerners still have luck on injured players. All the leaders are in optimal form. There are no serious injuries and disqualifications. The backbone played the whole first round. Head coach Vladimir Ivic makes only point changes in the squad. Against Krasnodar, the Serb did a masterclass in substitutions. Olusegun came on and scored the winning goal. Krasnodar cannot be called a random leader of the RPL. "Bulls" - the second in terms of the amount of danger created at other people's gates. The second place is also occupied by advanced defensive statistics. Only Zenit are ahead of them. The Piters have endured the most difficult start to the season in the Sergei Semak era. The club suffered three defeats, but eventually rectified the situation, went on a winning streak and dropped all of their rivals, with the exception of Krasnodar. The Piters host their next opponent with six straight wins in all tournaments. The club still doesn't play too spectacularly, but a core of quality internationals makes the difference. In the match against Baltika, they did well even without Claudinho at centre-back. Semak makes good use of a large bench. Zenit's big star this season is Mateo Cassierra. The Colombian has already scored eleven goals in thirteen meetings. Plus he has two goal assists. Zenit still do not abandon the formation with three centre-backs. This allows them to minimise the risks when defending their own goal. The champion has not conceded more than one goal in the last six games. Bookmakers give Zenit the obvious favorite. The odds on Krasnodar are set at above 6.00. This is a bit strange for the season leader with one defeat. Still, we expect an even match. Krasnodar have already shown their strength against top clubs. Curiously, Baltika were given less against Zenit last round than the Bulls are now. The southerners don't look like clear outsiders. Krasnodar have an experienced coach, there are no losses in the squad, the team can calmly act in the second number and on the counterattack.