FC Rostov V Spartak Moscow
Saturday 20th July 2019 – 19:30 Kick-Off
Russian Premier League
Selection: Draw
Odds: 11/5
Bookmaker: Bet365
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13/10 | 11/5 | 11/5 |
* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of July 18th 2019, at 16:25)
Preview: These teams begun the new Russian Premier League season with narrow victories, so confidence should be high within both camps as FC Rostov prepare to welcome Spartak Moscow to the Rostov Arena. Last season’s corresponding fixture ended 2-1 to the home side; will the home side prevail again or can Spartak secure a first league win in this fixture since 2013?
Russian Premier League betting at Bet365
FC Rostov Preview – Hosts to continue dominating this meeting?
Matches at the Rostov Arena may not have been the most thrilling of spectacles last season, but there could be no complaints regarding a shortage of drama and upsets. Perhaps they bored a lot of teams into submission, because Rostov away was arguably the fixture all top teams dreaded more than any other. Arsenal Tula (0-0), CSKA Moscow (0-0) and Krasnodar (0-0) were all held to goalless draws there, while even eventual champions Zenit came unstuck losing 1-0.
Which might explain why a team nicknamed Muzhiki (Tough Guys), that finished way down in 9th, are favourites to overcome a Spartak Moscow side which were four league positions and eight points better off come the end of the campaign. It makes even more sense after glancing through their recent league meetings versus this opposition, which includes a five-match unbeaten sequence at home for Rostov (W4 D1), who were 2-1 winners in last season’s corresponding encounter.
Evidently, home comforts matter for Rostov. Just three teams bettered them on their own patch in 2018-19 (W6 D6 L3), while their defensive numbers surpassed all others; eight goals conceded in 15 home games, having kept a clean sheet almost half the time, is mightily impressive. A Rostov win to nil is 11/5 with Bet365.
They couldn’t quite manage to keep a clean sheet in their first home game of this season, though, not that it would have bothered them a great deal seeing as they still ran out 2-1 winners over FC Orenburg. That made it three wins in five games when including the warm up matches with Spartak Moscow (W2-0), Krasnodar (L3-0), CSKA Moscow (W1-2) and Hannover (L1-2).
Spartak Moscow Preview – Visitors to end their Rostov hoodoo?
After leaving it late in their opening game to beat newly promoted Sochi 1-0, Spartak Moscow now prepare themselves for what has been a nightmare fixture in recent times. Not since 2013 have they managed to register a victory away at Rostov in the Russian Premier League, collecting a solitary point from five visits during the intervening period.
However, Sparktak are arguably the better side. A fifth-place finish last season, earning eight points more than their opponents, would back up this assertion. Meanwhile, only FC Krasnodar picked up more points on their travels, with Spartak finishing with the second-best away record in the entire division (W7 D4 L4). For whatever reason, though, this fixture has consistently got the better of them.
Last season saw the club nicknamed “The People’s Team” avoid defeat against most of their main rivals at the top echelon of the league, earning draws away to CSKA Moscow (0-0), Lokomotiv Moscow (0-0) and even champions Zenit (0-0). Yet a statement victory eluded them, which has to make any outright backers of Spartak Moscow wary at the very least.
Particularly as the team warmed up for the new campaign by facing off against Rostov in June, which they were again beaten in (2-0). That was one of two friendly defeats, the other coming against Krasnodar (L1-2), but their friendly preparations went well on the whole. Spartak also recorded big-margin victories over Sochi (W7-1), CSKA Moscow (W3-1) and Hungarians Gyor (W0-3).
FC Rostov V Spartak Moscow Key Facts:
- Rostov lost just three games at home last season (W6 D6 L3), conceding only 8 goals at their Rostov Arena.
- Spartak Moscow posted the second-strongest away record last season (W7 D4 L4).
- Four of the past five meetings in Rostov have been won by the home side, who were 2-1 winners last season.
Betting Summary
The recent head-to-head, coupled with Rostov’s formidable home form during the previous season, would seemingly make the home side worthy favourites. There are a few caveats, for me anyway.
Spartak are no mugs, put simply. Their form in this particular fixture is clearly wretched, having lost on four of their past five visits to Rostov, but this is also a team which finished several places and eight points better off than their opponents last term. While only one team in the whole country registered more points away from home than Oleg Kononov’s team.
Moreover, Rostov are not prolific scorers. Therefore if Spartak’s forwards to notch a couple, as they did frequently during the off-season in the warm up matches, then it could be interesting. Spartak Moscow or Draw (Double Chance) at 59/100 with MarathonBet is one possible entry, but considering Spartak didn’t manage a single away victory of note last season, it could pay to chance the draw.
