Zenit St. Petersburg vs CSKA Moscow Prediction: Who will turn out to be stronger?

Prediction for the match between Zenit vs CSKA which will take place on July 15. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Zenit is still the strongest team in Russia. Sergei Semak led the St. Petersburg team to their fifth consecutive title, and with that came a second star on the club emblem. Despite its achievement, they have plenty of motivation, but before the start of the new season, there is hope that now there will be intrigue in the fight for the top spot in the Premier League. Their main rivals are gradually starting to find themselves, while Zenit risks losing key players: Wendel has already been allowed to look for a new job. At the same time, Malcom and Claudinho could leave St Petersburg soon.

CSKA is one of those teams that have a chance to offer a worthy resistance to Zenit in the fight for the championship in the upcoming season. Last year was Vladimir Fedotov's debut year as head coach of the Army Men, so the first part of the championship was not the best. Gradually, the coaching staff began to adjust the players' actions, who, after the winter break, began to play noticeably better. All this led to the fact that the team climbed to second place in the standings, becoming vice-champions of the country, and at the same time, they reached the final of the Cup of Russia, where they beat Krasnodar in a penalty shootout - 2:1.

CSKA has been playing very hard against Zenit lately. In eight of the nine previous head-to-head encounters, they were the stronger side, and the only time the team won was in March of this year when they secured a minimal 1:0 victory at the disgusting VEB Arena. The conditions in Kazan should be much better. Therefore the favorites for the match will be the more technical and skillful players from St. Petersburg, who traditionally look good in battles for the Super Cup of Russia, having won the last three tournaments.

Zenit won their fifth consecutive league title last season, so the upcoming game for the Super Cup of Russia will be their fifth consecutive title. In the previous four fixtures, they have consistently produced a bright and effective battle for the trophy, with a combined total of 16 shots on goal (4.00 average per game), which is a solid performance. At the same time, the St Petersburg side scored 11 goals (2.75 average per game).