Lokomotiv Moscow - Rostov predictions and free betting tips [03/10/2023]

Russian Cup 2023/2024. RPL (Russian Premier League) Route. Group stage. Fifth round. The last match of the game day on Tuesday will pit Lokomotiv Moscow against Rostov Rostov-on-Don in Group B for the first place. One of the teams in this match will definitely secure its participation in the RPL route playoffs.

Lokomotiv Moscow

Lokomotiv set forth a peculiar scenario if they got a rather poor start in the RPL and were sited at the tail of the standings. However, the situation turned opposite in the Cup, two victories in the initial matches catapulted Lokomotiv to the top. Yet, two subsequent defeats, albeit one being on penalties, slightly grounded Lokomotiv from the clouds. On the other side, Lokomotiv's RPL run had been successful, and the team is now in the RPL's top three. But here we are mulling over the Cup where Lokomotiv shows a goal difference of four scored to three conceded, i.e., 1. The main question arises at the moment when Lokomotiv spurred in the regular RPL championship, whether it will go Cup-wise, preventing issues. Lokomotiv happens to be the most titled club of this tournament. Logically, an exit at the group stage is not an appealing prospect for such a team.

Rostov

Valeria Karpina's team, Rostov, is a quirky fruit, much like his national team. But Rostov, they play a lot, they score a lot, but either they miss matches with a two-goal difference or, on the contrary, with incredible difficulty, mount such match comebacks. In the Cup, Rostov has three wins; two came in regular-time matches, and one in a penalty shoot-out. Hence, after four matches, Rostov has 8 points and only one defeat, which places them top of Group B and almost guarantees them at least to regional route playoffs. However, to make it to the RPL clubs' playoff, they need to beat Lokomotiv at their home ground.

Head-to-Head

Lokomotiv and Rostov have played 65 matches against each other. Of those, Lokomotiv won 37 matches, while Rostov won only 10 matches, with even more draws, specifically 18. In the Cup, however, Rostov turned out to be stronger with a score of 2:1.

Prediction

Betcity offers odds of 1.76 for a win by Lokomotiv, while the odds for a win by Rostov are 4.50. A draw in this match provides odds of 3.90. With this, I propose to bank on Lokomotiv's victory. Galaktionov's team has gained momentum; outperforming Zenit in their recent match and is now trying to reassure a tranquil spring in the Cup.