Orenburg and Dinamo Moscow are set to battle today in the semi-finals of the Russian Cup regional path.
Orenburg has been reliably competitive in the last 8 matches from various tournaments, including the Russian Premier League, Russian Cup, and friendlies, suffering only one loss. The team under David Deograsiya noticeably improved in gameplay after a winter break, achieving victories against Baltika (1:0), Rubin (3:0), and Pari NN (3:1). Keep in mind, all these matches took place on their home ground. Away from home, Orenburg managed to avoid defeat against CSKA (1:1) and Fakel (0:0).
In the current season of the Russian Cup, despite an early loss to CSKA due to a rapid player digital, Orenburg is on a confident run at home, defeating Sochi (2:0) and Spartak (1:0), along with a draw against Fakel (0:0). In the most recent stage of the national tournament, the team prevailed against Akhmat (1:0) in the quarterfinal factor, exhibiting their ability to win crucial away matches. The only goal of this match came from an own goal by Satarov at the 88th minute.
The squad also appears solid in preparation for the semi-final of the Russian Cup, which shows the productive work of the coach during the off-season. Orenburg holds one of the leading positions in home matches in the Cup, having avoided defeat in 6 out of the last 7 home games during regular time. This solidifies their status as a tough opponent on their home turf.
Dinamo Moscow is showing inconsistent and, more often, poor results this season, especially in defence. This is reflected in their recent performances across all tournaments. In the Russian Cup, the team successfully bested the previous round of the regional path, defeating SKA Khabarovsk 2:1, with goals scored by Vyacheslav Grulev and Fabian Balbuena. This triumph marks the fourth win in their last five games in the national Cup, despite one loss. In the Russian Premier League (RPL), Dinamo suffered a 1:2 away defeat to Ural, conceding the decisive goal in added time. This marks their third consecutive loss in the championship.
The Marсello Licky-led squad holds the third position in the RPL's league table, trailing by 5 points from the second place, underscoring their difficulties in keeping up with league leaders such as Zenit and Krasnodar. Dinamo's defence, having conceded in 7 out of the last 9 cup matches, is showing weaknesses; and mistakes by the team’s Number 1 goalkeeper Leshchuk in the RPL, have exacerbated the situation.
In the current Russian Cup tournament, the team has played four away matches, losing heavily to Spartak (1:4) in regular time, as well as facing defeats from Krasnodar and Pari NN in the penalty shootout following 1:1 draws.
In recent encounters between Dinamo and Orenburg, results have varied. On 12th November 2023, Dinamo won the match 2:0 in the framework of the RPL. On 3rd of June the same year, the encounter ended decisively in Orenburg's favour with a score of 3:0. In the Russian Cup, on January 22 and November 27, 2022, Dinamo also secured victory, with a minimal advantage of 1:0. However, in the RPL match on October 15, 2022, the Moscow team faced a more challenging opposition and won with a close score of 3:2.
Dinamo appears to be progressively losing chances of a successful performance in all tournaments. Orenburg is certain to give a strong fight, but I don't foresee a high scoring match as Orenburg could score and then defend, or inversely. Thus, the betting odds do not point to a clear favourite. I would like to bet on fewer than 3 total goals.
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