Zenit St Petersburg - Krylia Sovetov predictions and free betting tips [31/10/2023]

The final round of the group stage of the Path-RPL Russian Cup in football is getting underway. Today teams from the group will cross the finish line - Zenit from Saint Petersburg and Kaliningrad's Baltika.

Zenit (Saint Petersburg)

The current champion of Russia in the 2023-2024 season is no longer the force that sweeps away all obstacles and keeps everyone away from the 1st place in the World-RPL. At present, "Zenit" from Saint Petersburg holds the 2nd place in the World-RPL, racking up 2 points fewer than Krasnodar, which leads the tournament table and may lose points again shortly. "Zenit" had a weak finale in the World-RPL matches in September, falling to Lokomotiv and Orenburg.

After two disastrous matches, the club from Saint Petersburg has not been defeated in four consecutive games. The sky-blue-whites first bested Baltika and FC Sochi, then, in the framework of the Russian Championship, came out on top against "Akhmat" and Krylia Sovetov from Samara. With 1 round to go before the completion of the group stage of the Path-RPL Russian Cup, Zenit is leading the tournament table of the Quartet C" In the Russian Cup, "Zenit" triumphed over Akhmat, Krylia Sovetov and Baltika.

The only defeat occurred in a match against Baltika, when the club from Kaliningrad hosted a home game and came out stronger with a score of 2:1. To retain the 1st place, "Zenit" needs to beat Baltika or wait for a misstep by "Baltika".

"Baltika" (Kaliningrad)

The World-RPL's 2023-2024 season debutants are sitting in 15th place in the championship tournament table, which is not a disaster. Players from Akhmat and Orenburg are situated just two points behind Baltika. Baltika performs much better in the Path-RPL Russian Cup than in the World-RPL.

While the club from Kaliningrad is on the brink in the Russian Championship, they notably realised their potential in the group stage of the Russian Cup, securing an excellent 2nd place ahead of the final round. In the group stage of the Russian Cup, Baltika pulled off three victories, having triumphed against Akhmat, Zenit, and Krylia Sovetov.

Evaluating based on Baltika's recent official matches, the club from Kaliningrad has defeated Orenburg, was weaker than Rubin, but was on par with the championship’s top-seated Krasnodar - whose first defeat in the 2023-2024 season came only recently. Baltika will secure a 2nd place in case of victory over Zenit and a stumble by Akhmat.

Head-To-Head 

As part of the Russian Cup, "Zenit" from Saint Petersburg and "Baltika" have clashed three times. The team from Saint Petersburg, "Zenit", lays claim to two victories, while "Baltika" has come out stronger in one encounter.

Forecast

Zenit will come out victorious within the main time. The club from Saint Petersburg has strong motivation, and this implies that they simply cannot be discounted. Especially considering that in Round 1 of the Russian Cup, the sky-blue-whites fell to Baltika, with the Kaliningrad side celebrating their victory emphatically. Zenit will certainly want to set up barriers for those who, for whatever reason, have proven stronger than them on the football pitch.