Krasnodar – Zenit

Krasnodar and Zenit are unlikely to play from defence

On Saturday, 28 September, Krasnodar will play at home against Zenit. "The Bulls are on a championship run and if they win, they will move to the top of the Russian league. Krasnodar were heavily criticised after the first rounds, when the question of Murad Musayev's possible departure was seriously raised. The coach coped with the pressure, and after certainty with transfers, the club started to stamp victories. At the moment, the Southerners have won six games in a row in the Russian league, which is one of the record series in the team's history. In the ninth round Krasnodar easily dealt with Akron, scoring five goals away. Interestingly, it was only the first match of the season with Musayev's team, in which a bet on a total of more than 3.5 goals was made. Before the game in Samara, Krasnodar had conceded only one goal in four Russian league games. Eduard Spertsyan's improved performance is noteworthy: the midfielder has scored five goals in three games and has seven assists in six games. The captain has regained his fighting form and is once again one of the best in the league at his position. Zenit have recovered from a mini-crisis and also head into the top match with a winning streak. The St. Petersburg grandee has won three consecutive meetings. The hottest star in the team right now is Luciano Gondu. The Argentine has fit in perfectly and has already scored four goals. Alexander Sobolev, on the other hand, can boast only one goal in the cup match. Sergei Semak has surprised by using Sobolev in combination with Gondu and Cassierra. The dimensional attack looked a bit heavy against Fakel. So it is likely that Semak will change the scheme for Krasnodar. An important event is the return of Maxim Glushenkov. The midfielder is likely to be in the starting line-up. The leader of the scoring race against Fakel appeared as a substitute. Zenit's injury situation does not look critical: Sergei Volkov and Rodrigao will definitely not play - they are out for a long period of time. Ilzat Akhmetov is expected to return in October. Krasnodar have only young forward Aleksandr Koksharov injured. Zenit is a very uncomfortable opponent for Krasnodar. The southerners have no wins since 2018. In total, the "bulls" won against the champion only three times. In this regard, the status of the favourite of the guests does not raise any questions. But on the total there are doubts, given that bookmakers expect a "down" game. Krasnodar are now playing brightly in attack, while the visitors have Glushenkov returning to the squad, who will be teaming up with Gondu for the first time. Plus, both teams have decent reserves.