Ural – Zenit

Zenit will win easily in Ekaterinburg

On Saturday, 9 March, Zenit will already play in a no-goal match in Yekaterinburg. The team needs to urgently get on the winning track, given the situation in the championship race. Ural, who are fighting for survival, are also highly motivated. Zenit were very disappointing in their first meeting against Spartak. And in all respects. The champion was expected to dominate in a game against a principled opponent who was without a coach and amid scandals. As a result, a draw was lucky for Zenit, as Spartak hit the bar. A negative impression was left by the newcomer Arthur with his play. The star Brazilian did not even come close to having an impact on an attack of Malcom's level. Zenit created a minimum of scoring chances. Zenit's long streak of scoring goals at home in the RPL was interrupted. It is too difficult to highlight any positives. The situation is the same for Ural, but the outsider's crisis was predictable. Goncharenko's team now has a squad at the level of the First League. After a marvellously successful start, Ural are the main outsiders in the RPL. If we take the distance from the fifth round, the team won once. While all competitors strengthened in the winter, Ural signed veteran Alexei Ionov. He was the main strike force for the match with Akhmat. Viktor Goncharenko's charges looked decent in Grozny, playing no worse than their opponents. The expectation was clearly for a draw, but the plans were ruined by a long-range strike from defender Andrey Semyonov. As a result, Ural lost with a minimal score, worsening their league position. Ural president Grigory Ivanov denies rumours of Viktor Goncharenko's resignation, but such a scenario is very likely if the unlucky streak drags on, and there are no preconditions for overcoming the crisis. Ural have now switched to a defensive scheme with five defenders. In attack, the main players are Ionov and Bikfalvi, both over 35 years old. The potential of the squad is limited. In the first round there was a very telling match between the two teams. Then Ural were still in the top three and lost 0:4 away to Zenit. If we take the last six head-to-head matches between the rivals in the Russian championship, Semak's team has a frightening superiority: the goal difference is 18:2. For now, you can bet on Zenit for odds closer to 1.80. This should be taken advantage of. The quote will obviously drop a few days before the game. The St. Petersburg grand has two squads of top footballers by RPL standards, the newcomers will try to make amends for a bad start. There is a gulf in performance between the teams, and Zenit will be furious after a disappointing game against Spartak. A rout in Ekaterinburg is in sight. Ural look like a hopeless club and a clear candidate for relegation.