Zenit vs Lokomotiv Prediction: Winning is a Life or Death Situation

Prediction for the Russian Premier League match between Zenit vs Lokomotiv, which will take place on October 27th. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the teams' conditions! Several betting options are available.

Zenit isn't happy with how they're doing in the Premier League at the moment. By last season's end, they were in danger of missing out on another title. They did a great job of strengthening the squad to make sure they wouldn't have an unsettling end to the championship again. It's true that in the first four rounds of the season, the Blues were undefeated, but they still started to drop points. They drew with Khimki and Spartak 1:1 and 0:0, then won three in a row but lost to Krasnodar 0:2. In the last two games, the hosts beat Orenburg 1:0 and Akron 5:0, but they're only second in the league.

Before the season started, Lokomotiv wasn't one of the leading contenders for the RPL title. Last season, they came in fourth, and then many of the talented and experienced players left. Even so, the team is exceeding expectations. In the first 12 games, they won nine and lost three. They failed the matches with Dynamo Moscow and Krasnodar 1:3 and 0:3, which isn't a huge surprise given that both teams are also up to significant challenges. However, they also had a setback last weekend, losing 0:2 to Khimki. Currently, the Moscow club sits third in the standings.

Zenit and Lokomotiv are currently placed second and third in the standings. Both teams are on a roll, with St Petersburg winning five of their last six league games and the visitors - four of the previous five. All this points to an intriguing and hard-fought encounter in which the hosts should be closer to success. They failed both H2H meetings last season, so winning is now a matter of principle for them. The Blue-Belo Blues have a more skilled and experienced squad, and the home-field advantage is also a big factor. 

The match between Zenit and Lokomotiv has been a real treat for us recently, with plenty of goals. In the eight meetings, the opponents have scored 31 goals (3.88 per game on average). That's a pretty solid figure, with seven out of eight scoring at least three goals (88%). The Blues were particularly productive in offense, with 22 goals (2.75 per game on average).