Zenit vs Lokomotiv Moscow Betting Tip Zenit – 7 August 2020

Zenit vs Lokomotiv Moscow
6 August 1700hrs
Football – Russia – Super Cup
Pick Zenit
Bookmaker William Hill
Odds: 6/5 odds taken 1200 GMT, Thursday 6 August

The all-conquering Zenit will be looking to add the Russian Super Cup to their collection when they face Lokomotiv Moscow who finished second but 15 points adrift of their opponents.

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Zenit Preview – Are Zenit set to continue their domestic dominance and gain revenge for defeat in this match a year ago?

It was a memorable season for lots of different reasons but for Zenit they will look back extremely fondly on 2019/20 having won both the Russian Premier League and Cup. It is the first time they have been successful in both during the same season for 10 years. A 1-0 win over second tier Khimki on top of a romp in the league where they were superior to everyone else has put them back as Russia’s premier club.

Ordinarily, the players and coaching staff would be able to celebrate those achievements for a couple of months but due to the break they begin the new campaign less than two weeks after the cup final success.

 

Key to Zenit’s success last season is the attacking options they possess and the goals they score. Their tally of 65 in 30 league games may not sound overly impressive in comparison to other leagues across Europe but it was best by 16 in Russia.

Sardar Azmoun and Artem Dzyuba finished joint top scorers in the league with 17 goals each and have developed a fearsome and very physical threat together. With Brazilian forward Malcolm also having had time to settle he will inevitably add a new dimension to the attack with his pace and dribbling from out wide.

Lokomotiv Moscow Preview – Will Lokomotiv retain the trophy they won last year in dramatic circumstances?

They may have been second but it was a distant second as Lokomotiv Moscow were 15 points behind Zenit and filled the same position they did the previous campaign. It gives them direct entry into the group stages of the Champions League for the coming season but first they will be hoping they can retain the Super Cup which they won 12 months ago having come back from 2-1 down to win 3-1. Against Zenit.

This will be Lokomotiv’s fourth straight appearance in the Super Cup but that has been their only success, losing the other two against Moscow rivals.

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Whilst playing in the Super Cup is a regular thing for Lokomotiv as a club it will be the first time they are led by Marko Nikolic who took charge of the club in May. The Serbian coach is yet to taste defeat in his short time in charge with four wins and four draws and he will be hoping that’s the case come full time on Friday.

It’s a much more conservative style that Lokomotiv adopt compared to Zenit and that’s borne out with them scoring 24 goals less. Aleksey Miranchuk was the club’s top scorer with 12 goals which is an excellent return from midfield.

Zenit also never scored in either of the league meetings last season which ended 1-0 and 0-0.

 

The fact Zenit have struggled against Lokomotiv in recent games will mean they come into this game desperate for the win and to collect a trophy they have not held since 2015. Incidentally, they defeated this rival on that occasion. They needed penalties to win that time but I’m taking them to complete the job in 90 minutes here.