Krasnodar vs Zenit Prediction: the Petersburg team will be favorites in this encounter

Prediction for the RPL Krasnodar vs Zenit match which will take place on April 13th. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Krasnodar continue their fierce rivalry for the first trophy in the club's history. They enjoyed an excellent first third of the season, opening up a comfortable lead over the chasing pack, but results have since fallen off. The winter break didn't help either, as they drew 1:1 with Rubin, lost 2:1 to Rostov, and crashed out of the Russian Cup with a 2:0 defeat to Khimki. The club sacked Vladimir Ivic, and Murad Musayev returned as head coach. Musayev's team drew 1:1 with Lokomotiv in their opening match, then edged out Pari NN 4:3 on penalties to consolidate second place in the standings.

Zenit did not fare well in the first half of the season, but there were objective reasons for this, as the club lost many key players in the summer and failed to find immediate replacements. They led the Premier League for a few days before the winter break but have since slipped to second place. The Neva team didn't have the best of spring either, losing 0:0 and 1:1 to Spartak and Krylia Sovetov but beating Ural 4:1 and Baltika 1:0. That was enough to keep them at the top of the standings. Still, they are just one point adrift of their nearest challengers.

The most important RPL match of the 2023/24 season takes place in Krasnodar on 13 April. The hosts are one point behind Zenit in the standings, so the result of their clash will go a long way towards determining who will go on to win the title. Naturally, the Petersburg team will be favorites in this encounter, having won the Premier League five years in a row. While Sergei Semak's wards have often come up short in encounters in St Petersburg, they have taken 16 points from a possible 18 in their last six away games against the Bulls. 

Krasnodar and Zenit are among the most entertaining and efficient teams in the Premier League year after year. This season has been no exception. In 22 rounds, St Petersburg has already scored 41 goals (1.86 per game), the best record in the tournament, while the Bulls have scored 35 goals (1.59 per game), which is also a decent record, not forgetting that the pragmatic Vladimir Ivic was the head coach for 20 rounds. Now, the more creative Murad Musaev is in charge.