Zenit vs Rostov Prediction: St.Petersburg Won't Leave a Chance for Karpin's Team

On October 2, the field of Gazprom Arena will host the match of the 11th round of the Russian Football Championship. The local Zenit will face Rostov. The meeting is scheduled to start at 16:30.

Zenit has been the Russian champion for the last four seasons, and they also intend to win a fifth title. Sergei Semak's squad is doing everything to solve this problem, and so far, they have eight wins, two draws, and no losses. This allows St. Petersburg to lead the standings, giving them a four-point lead over their closest pursuer. But in the Russian Cup, the club suddenly began to fail, suffering a 0:2 defeat from Krylye Sovetov. Also, this week there was a 0:3 defeat from Spartak. That is how St. Petersburg finished only third in the quartet.

Rostov leaves a delightful impression, having not encountered a single loss in the Premier League. A tremendous success! At the end of last season, when Valery Karpin returned as the coach, the Yellow and Blues immediately made significant progress. Now they even claim medals, although the coach himself never gets tired of repeating the main task - to keep a place in the elite division. The southerners got six wins in the ten rounds, four draws, and occupied second place. Still, the lag from the leader is already four points. A possible victory in the upcoming game would bring them closer to Zenit.

Zenit and Rostov are the two teams that have not lost a single game so far in the current league. There is a chance that this series will last, but it is unlikely that Sergei Semak's charges will allow that. The statistics indicate this. The only time the Blue and Whites lost points on the home field was in 2022 against Betis in the UEL playoffs. In their arena, they won all 14 official matches. Of course, they are the absolute favorites, and a setback against Spartak encouraged them. 

• Zenit has won their last 14 consecutive home games.
• The average efficiency of the last three games between Zenit and Rostov - was 4.67.
• Rostov cannot beat Zenit in six consecutive head-to-head encounters.
• Zenit and Rostov are the only teams in the Premier League who have not lost once this season.
• Rostov cannot beat Zenit in eight consecutive head-to-head meetings in St. Petersburg.

We've already noted that Zenit won all 14 of their home games this season. Note that they shot 47 goals (3.36 average per game). That's a fantastic figure for such a long stretch! Rostov this season doesn't have a very reliable defense; in their last six meetings, they have conceded 18 goals (3.00 on average) against the St. Petersburg club. 

In recent years, Zenit was famous for the striking combination of Azmoun and Dzyuba in the offense, but now they do not have either. Their replacements, Ivan Sergeyev and Mateo Cassierra, can't fully prove themselves. So the top scorers are flank players Malcom and Andrey Mostovoy. The latter has made tremendous progress in the current season, sending five goals in ten games, and his career record is six in a season. 

• Telecom Asia Sport is looking for content writers. Contact jobs@telecomasia.net for more information.