Spartak Moscow - Orenburg predictions and free betting tips [14/03/2024]

In the 1/4 final grid of the Russian Cup, there are no clashes where after the first match one team managed to effortlessly carve out a lead for the second round. Even the Moscow-based "Spartak" managed to lose away to "Orenburg", and now at the "Lukoil Arena" they will have to upset the apple cart and strive to win. Otherwise, the seat underneath Guillermo Abascal, head coach of the popular Moscow club, may genuinely tip him from his position.

Spartak

Yearly in Spartak, there are frequent discussions about the termination of the incumbent coach, whoever they happen to be. We remember that Paulo Vanoli and Domenico Tedesco experienced periods at the "red-and-whites" where they were not threatened with this risk of dismissal, the truth being these coaches left of their own accord, achieving decent results in the club. The situation for Guillermo Abascal is different, having achieved nothing significant with Spartak in almost 2 seasons, the perception remains that he's an "unknown" trying to make a name for himself in Russia.

The season for Spartak is proceeding routinely, with streaks of good results, followed by failures, or a combination of both. After the winter break, Abascal's players surprised the crowd, matching Zenit in St. Petersburg, but almost immediately in the next tour, a poor match against Fakel sparked again the discussions about the head coach's potential dismissal.

Spartak indeed has a good squad, even without Quincy Promes. Ugalde, for instance, is a great acquisition - they found a sound link in the centre of defence, and yet, the failures continue. Tomas Tavares is back from injury and even made the squad for the match against Fakel; Moses returned to the ranks, so supposedly there's no issue with the team's depth, so why did we see problematic football from the Muscovites at the "Luzhniki"? It seems like the answer lies with Guillermo Abascal, especially if Spartak doesn't advance into the semi-final of the Russian Cup.

Undoubtedly, losing to Orenburg means nothing for "Spartak" as they have the regional route, but as for Guillermo Abascal, a failure to progress in the quarter-final of the Russian Cup could serve as grounds for the Spaniard's dismissal, particularly before the international break - a window which could provide an opportunity to swiftly replace him as the head coach of the Moscow club.

Orenburg

Under Deograsia, Orenburg manages to present structured football, yet the team is on the 14th junction and is trying to contest to maintain their placement in the RPL. After the restart, Orenburg managed not to lose to CSKA in Moscow, even managing to sneak in a goal from Matthias Perez. Then there was the main clash with Baltika on their home turf, which the players of David Deograsia struggled to win despite being less productive in terms of creating scoring chances.

Deograsia's Argentinians are good, as are all the foreign players he has — they're all praiseworthy. Jimmi Marin is in prime condition, although under the Spanish coach he's a bench warmer, it was he who delivered Orenburg 3 points in the match against Baltika, with an assist by Emirdzhan Gyurlyuk, who appeared on the field alongside him.

It's tough to predict whether Deograsia's team can secure even a draw against Spartak, but it's wise not to rely on Abascal's players having another lacklustre match in attack and several defensive failures.

Head-to-Head

It was from the match against "Orenburg" at their home stadium that "Spartak" kicked off this season, winning 3:2, where Daniil Khleusevich was marked with a brace. Quincy Promes and Theo Bongonda each assisted on a goal. In the first cup match, "Spartak" was defeated by "Orenburg" away with a minimal score of 0:1, conceding a penalty at the game's start - Oleg Ryabchuk received a red card at the end of the first half.

Match prediction: Spartak - Orenburg

Considering the dynamic attack of Orenburg and the disorganised composite defence of "Spartak", perhaps, we can look at the option with total over 2.5 goals in the match, because Spartak cannot afford to lose, they need to win by at least 1 goal, and if we consider either of the two possible scenarios: a confident win by Spartak or a defensive failure, then we can rely on our chosen bet passing. I doubt that there will be a modest match in terms of goals.