Rubin – Akron

Rubin is vastly overrated on the line

On Friday, 22 November, Rubin will play at home against Akron. This is the first meeting in the 16th round of the Russian championship. The hosts are the league's mid-table favourites, while the RPL newcomer is fighting for survival, although it sits ninth. At the same time, the status of the rivals can easily change - there are only three points between the teams in the table. Rubin is a solid mid-table side by all indicators. The club overcame a slight slump with reserves, as well as unpleasant rumours of a change of coach. Rashid Rakhimov will definitely not be replaced by Vladimir Fedotov. Kazan have played two quality matches against top clubs: first, they made life difficult for CSKA in the Russian Cup (0-0), and then they drew at home with Krasnodar (1-1). It was Rubin who interrupted the historic winning streak of the RPL leaders. Another issue is that it is more difficult for Kazan to play as the number one. This season they have already suffered home defeats to Krylia Sovetov, Khimki, and have not beaten Fakel away. Another huge disadvantage is that a large delegation will only return after the national team matches. Rubin had many Balkans playing for national teams, and the RPL meeting was already set for Friday. That means that the team will simply not have time to hold even two joint training sessions, and the players will not be able to recover. Akron fulfilled the plan for the first round: the team scored 16 points, seven points away from the direct departure zone. The club has not given up attacking football, although it has added pragmatism. Togliatti lost to Spartak 0:4 in the last round. Matches with the grandees have often not worked out well - before that they were defeated by Zenit (0:5) and conceded five goals to Krasnodar (2:5). CSKA gave Togliatti four unanswered goals. Akron has a decent record in matches against mid-table and outsiders. Here, a bold approach has often helped them win. One of the best games was the away success against Rostov. Akron still has a lot of focus on Artem Dzyuba. The veteran looks good, has already scored five times in the RPL. An unpleasant moment for Akron is the disqualification of Soltmurad Bakayev. The footballer received a red card in the match against Spartak. But the club does not have a large delegation of national teams. We could calmly prepare for Rubin. Rubin are unfairly listed as big favourites. The odds on the home team are down to 1.68. There are a lot of factors against the hosts: uncomfortable to play the first number one, two days of break after international meetings, tired national teams, and Akron is not inferior in class. In the end, there are only three points between the clubs - a win for the visitors, and the rivals will equalise in the table after the sixteenth round.