Zenit – Rubin

Zenit is capable of defeating Rubin

On Sunday, November 30, Zenit will play against Rubin. The main favorite of the Russian championship has long forgotten about defeats in the RPL – just one point separates them from the leader. However, Rubin is struggling this autumn – the quality of their game has declined, and there are no prospects for fighting even for the top 6. Zenit has gained fighting form in the championship. Their home games stand out particularly: six victories in seven matches, with 18 goals scored. This means that in St. Petersburg, Zenit averages three goals per game. This is not surprising at all: Maxim Glushenkov has found his form and has already made 12 goal contributions this season. The Brazilian legionnaires have also come to life. Luis Henrique is not yet the leader of the club, but he still demonstrates high class in key moments, and Wendell is once again one of the best players in the RPL. In the match against Pari NN, the Brazilian even scored himself. Zenit has a very deep squad: for example, Andrey Mostovoy is not always in the starting lineup. The obvious difficulties for Sergey Semak are only with the central striker position: Mateo Cassierra has been injured, and Luciano Gondou has fallen out of favor – he has fewer chances this season than Alexander Sobolev. Interestingly, the Argentine currently has no goal contributions at all. Semak has calmly reshaped the game to a mobile attacking line – a central striker is not always needed in such a system. Rubin faces a key loss before the away trip to St. Petersburg: Mirlin Daku will not play due to suspension. To understand how important this player is for Kazan, one can look at the statistics: the striker has scored 9 out of 16 goals for Rubin in the RPL. That is, more than 50% from the key forward. Essentially, in St. Petersburg, the guests find themselves without an attack. It is obvious that there is no worthy alternative for Rashid Rakhimov right now. However, Daku himself had not scored before the match with Akhmat in 10 consecutive matches. The forward's crisis coincided with the club's failures: Rubin sharply deteriorated in the autumn. In the championship, there was a series with only one goal in four matches. Rakhimov's position is under threat. Fans are currently at a peak of discontent: in the middle of the week, Rubin was eliminated from the Russian Cup, losing to Tula's Arsenal, and they conceded three goals. The Cup was an important tournament for Rubin, considering the lack of motivation in the championship. That is, the season for the Kazan team is practically over from a sporting point of view. Zenit, likely, will be able to secure a large victory. The team is in high spirits and literally flying across the field, Semak’s vast squad is hungry for goals. Here, Alexander Sobolev may also get a chance. Without Daku, Rubin's entire system will break down. The bookmakers are overestimating the guests' defense – a rout can easily happen here.