The matchday 21 Russian Premier League fixture between Baltika Kaliningrad and CSKA Moscow will take place on 14 March at the Rostec Arena. Baltika Kaliningrad vs CSKA Moscow: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Baltika Kaliningrad
Once again, the Kaliningrad side were unfortunate late on. In the last round, the team conceded in stoppage time against Rostov (1:1) and missed out on a win that would have been their 10th of the current league campaign (9 draws, 2 defeats). Notably, it was only the second time this season that Andrey Talalayev's men have conceded in two consecutive matches. Even so, Baltika Kaliningrad's defence remains the tightest in the league. Despite dropping points, the club even closed in on leaders Krasnodar, cutting the gap to seven points.
- No more than two goals have been scored in eight of the Kaliningrad side's previous Premier League games.
- On home soil in this league campaign, the team are still unbeaten (5 wins, 4 draws).
- In six of their last seven home matches in this competition, Baltika Kaliningrad have not conceded a single goal.
Potential Baltika Kaliningrad Lineup (3-4-3)
Maksim Borisko – Sergey Varatynov, Kevin Andrade, Natan Gassama – Mingiyan Beveev, Ilya Petrov, Andrey Mendel, Mikhail Ryadno – Bryan Gil, Nikolay Titkov, Maksim Petrov.
Midfielder Ivan Belikov is suspended. Forward Chinonso Offor is injured.
CSKA Moscow
The Army Men suffered a heavy defeat against Dynamo Moscow last round (1:4). The team have now lost three successive Russian Premier League matches, and the last time CSKA Moscow went on such a long losing run was in the 2022/23 season. The club have also conceded more than three goals in a league game for the first time since April 2022. At the same time, the Moscow side have scored in six of their previous eight league matches. In the standings, Fabio Celestini's men remain in fourth place, but they are only ahead of Baltika Kaliningrad on tie-breakers.
- In seven of CSKA Moscow's last nine Russian Premier League games, at least one of the sides failed to score.
- Away from home, the club have lost four of their last five league matches (1 win).
- The team have conceded in eight of their last nine away fixtures in this competition.
Potential CSKA Moscow Lineup (4-3-3)
Igor Akinfeev – Joao Victor, Milan Gajic, Mateus Reis, Moises Barbosa – Ivan Oblyakov, Dmitriy Barinov, Matvey Kislyak – Danil Krugovoy, Kirill Glebov, Tamerlan Musaev.
Forward Luciano Gondou is suspended.
Referee
Kirill Levnikov (Russia)
Matches – 12 (Russian Premier League, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 50;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.2;
Red cards shown – 5;
Fouls per match on average – 26;
Penalties – 25%.
Baltika Kaliningrad vs CSKA Moscow: Match Prediction
One of the Kaliningrad side's two defeats in this league season came against CSKA Moscow in the first round. Andrey Talalayev's men, as always, defended intelligently and were close to a draw, but conceded the only goal moments before the final whistle. We think Baltika Kaliningrad's head coach, with similar late setbacks in recent matches, will address this issue, and the players will be far more focused in the closing stages. Even without that, it is extremely difficult to score at the Rostec Arena. In the current Russian Premier League season, only three teams have managed it.
CSKA Moscow, meanwhile, have not exactly been prolific on the road. The Army Men have not scored more than once in four of their last five away league matches, and in three games they failed to find the net at all. Clearly, with numbers like these, it is difficult to count on points — over that spell, the Moscow side have four defeats and a win over Makhachkala. There is little chance of improving those statistics: no one has left Kaliningrad with the points this season.
Prediction: Baltika Kaliningrad, double chance
