Zenit Vs Krasnodar
Zenit Vs Krasnodar Saturday 7 August, 2021 – 15:00 (BST)
Russian Premier League
Pick: Zenit & Over 2.5 Goals
Odds: 4/5
Bookmaker: Betfair (Bet Builder)
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 5 July 2021)
Preview: Defending champions Zenit have made the perfect start to the 2021-22 Premier League season in Russia, recording a couple of thrilling victories so far. Having lost none of their past nine home league encounters, the champs will be confident of banking all three points when Krasnodar visit Gazprom Arena.
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Table of Contents
Zenit – Russian champs off to strong start?
Reigning champions Zenit have made a thrilling start to the defence of their 2020-21 Premier League title, which marked the club’s third in successive seasons and seventh overall. Having opened with a 3-1 win away to FC Khimki, recovering from conceding the first goal midway through the first half, they then made hard work of dispatching Rostov but would ultimately prevail 4-2 at Rostov Arena.
Sergei Semak will now lead this team into their first home game of the season. He is unlikely to be duly concerned. Last season, on their way to comfortably retaining the league title by an eight point margin, Zenit hoovered up 40 of 45 points (W13 D1 L1) at Gazprom Arena. Rubin Kazan being the only side to best them, while no rival got even remotely close to the 3.53 goals per game they mustered at home.
However, after conceding in each of their league games so far this season, there will be question marks hanging over a defence which failed to record a clean sheet in all but five home Premier League contests in 2020-21. Meanwhile, those looking for a goalscorer punt need look no further than Sardar Azmoun and Aleksandr Erokhin, both of whom found the back of the net on matchdays 1 and 2.
Krasnodar – Visitors are dangerous but defensively flawed?
For a club that begun the previous campaign with seven consecutive top-five finishes in the Russian Premier League, not to mention qualifying for the Champions League group stage for the very first time, 2020-21 will arguably go down as the most underwhelming in their recent memory. Mainly on account of their dismal domestic endeavours, which saw them finish 23 points behind champions Zenit in tenth.
Scoring evidently wasn’t the issue. Only two sides – champions Zenit along with Spartak Moscow, who were runners-up – plundered more goals throughout the league campaign than the Black & Greens. Keeping out the opposition, though, was an altogether different proposition. Just the bottom four of FC Ufa, Arsenal Tula, Rotor Volgograd and FC Tambov gave up more defensive concessions (45 in 30 games).
So it was perhaps surprising Krasnodar opened their accounts for 2021-22 with a clean sheet, beating FC Ural 3-0 on the road. The hosts did fluff their lines from the penalty spot though. Another missed spot-kick proved decisive in their second outing, meanwhile, a 1-0 loss at home to FC Khimki in which Krasnodar were the team left to rue their profligacy from 12 yards.
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Zenit Vs Krasnodar Betting Advice
Goals have flowed for Zenit so far, who are already up and running in 2021-21 following entertaining 3-1 and 4-2 victories against FC Khimki and Rostov. Last season’s Premier League champions were also by far and away the most productive attacking outfit, but particularly here in St Petersburg. Zenit’s tally of 53 in 15 home games was a figure no side could get remotely close to, netting 3+ on 11 occasions.
Zenit Vs Krasnodar – Key Facts:
- Not since April 2018 has Krasnodar recorded a Premier League victory against Zenit, with the latter winning four of their six subsequent meetings (D2).
- Both teams have scored across all of the previous seven meetings between these teams, all but the 1-1 draw in August 2019 seeing three or more goals.
- Zenit made the best possible start to their Premier League defence, scoring six in winning their opening two games. Krasnodar reside three points further back (W1 L1).
Krasnodar are aiming to better last season’s dismal efforts and made an encouraging start initially, when winning 3-0 away from home over FC Ural. That was soon followed by a 1-0 home loss to FC Khimki, in which they rued a missed penalty to take the lead. The visitors are a threat but incredibly suspect defensively. So, with the previous seven league meetings between the sides producing a minimum of three or more goals, Zenit & Over 2.5 Goals appeals.
Best Betting Odds – Zenit Vs Krasnodar
Zenit – 2/5 (BetVictor)
Draw – 17/5 (WilliamHill)
Krasnodar – 11/1 (PaddyPower)
