Spartak Moscow vs Zenit Prediction: the Hosts to Outplay the Rival for the First Time in 6 Years

Prediction for the Russian Premier League match between Spartak Moscow vs Zenit, which will take place on August 20th. Check the team conditions and choose several betting options!

The current season has started productively for Spartak. In the first two rounds of the Russian Cup, they defeated Krasnodar and Pari NN 2:1 and 5:4, topping Group D. Simultaneously, they actively began to earn points in the league. The club beat Orenburg 3:2, Baltika 2:1, and Rubin 4:1. It seemed that with such play and character Guillermo Abascal's charges would fight for the championship, but only such thoughts appeared because immediately there was a setback. In the away match against Ural, the capital team lost 0:1, then led 2:1, but eventually conceded twice in the second half overtime and lost 2:3.

Zenit can't boast of consistently good results in the debut of the current season. They are doing well in the Russian Cup, beating Akhmat 2:0 and Krylya Sovetov 1:0. But in the championship, St. Petersburg has already had two misfires, and both times the key was a goal in stoppage time: with Rostov 1:1, and lost 2:3 to Dinamo. Only in the matches with Pari NN and Fakel could the club snatch victories, beating them both 2:0, but this is enough only for a modest seventh place in the standings.

Zenit has been productive against Spartak in the league recently: in ten H2H meetings, the St. Petersburg side has won six times and drawn four. The upcoming match is the best opportunity for the Red and Whites to break their losing streak by defeating their main rivals. As long as Sergei Semak's men are struggling and the capital team is on a roll, they should take advantage. They beat the visitors a year ago, but that was in the FONBET Russian Cup. Now it's time to do the same in the Premier League. 

Spartak played some stingy games in the early stages of the season, but things took a sharp turn for the better. In their last seven matches, Guillermo Abascal's men scored a staggering 20 goals, an average of 2.86 per game. At the same time, they have conceded at least once in their last six matches.