The Matchday 1 clash of the Russian Premier League between Pari NN and Krasnodar will take place on July 20 at the Ak Bars Arena in Kazan. Pari NN vs. Krasnodar: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Pari NN
Last season, Nizhny Novgorod finished in 13th place and had to play relegation play-offs to retain their spot in the Premier League. The battle against Sochi did not go in their favor (2:1, 1:3), but due to Khimki's exclusion from the championship participants, Pari NN will play their fifth consecutive season in the Premier League. Notably, in the last RPL season, the club scored only 27 goals, with only Fakel having a worse record (14). In preparation for the tournament, Nizhny Novgorod played four friendly matches, showing uncompromising results – 2 wins and 2 losses.
In the off-season, Aleksey Shpilevskiy took charge of the team. Pari NN parted ways with several loaned players, and the contracts of defenders Kirill Gotsuk and Stanislav Magkeev expired. Meanwhile, midfielder Daniil Lesovoy joined the club. Defender Alexander Ektov is sidelined for an extended period due to injury.
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The team has not won in 9 of their last 11 league matches (2 draws, 7 losses).
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Nizhny Novgorod has not scored more than one goal in 10 of their last 11 RPL games.
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The club has conceded at least one goal in 13 of their last 14 matches in this tournament.
Pari NN Starting Lineup (4-4-2)
Nikita Medvedev – Maxim Shnaptsov, Viktor Alexandrov, Sven Karic, Juan Camilo Castillo – Mamadou Maiga, Vladislav Karapuzov, Veshner Tichich, Daniil Lesovoy – Juan Boselli, Vyacheslav Grulev.
Krasnodar
Krasnodar missed out on the championship in the final round of the 2023/24 season, but in the last tournament, the team did not repeat this mistake, winning the RPL gold for the first time in their history. Murad Musayev's side scored 59 goals, making them the second most prolific team after Dynamo (61). Krasnodar conceded only 23 goals, a figure they bettered only once in the Premier League – in the 2016/17 season with 22 goals against. The team has already played an official match, losing narrowly to CSKA in the Super Cup.
Defender Kaio and forward Fyodor Smolov left the team. The club was strengthened by defender Jubal, midfielder Douglas Augusto, and forward Gustavo Furtado.
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Both teams scored in 5 of Krasnodar's last 7 Premier League games.
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The team has won 9 of their last 11 matches in this tournament (2 losses).
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Krasnodar scored first in 9 of their last 11 RPL matches.
Krasnodar Starting Lineup (4-4-2)
Stanislav Agkatsev – Lucas Olaza, Diego Costa, Vitor Tormena, Sergey Petrov – Eduard Spertsyan, Alexander Chernikov, Joao Bachi, Kevin Lenini – Victor Sa, John Cordoba.
Referee
Evgeny Kukulyak (Russia)
Matches – 11 (RPL, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 43;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.9;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 9%.
Pari NN vs. Krasnodar: Match Prediction
Nizhny Novgorod is unlucky to start the season against the champion, who is likely still upset about their Super Cup loss. Moreover, Aleksey Shpilevskiy's side will have to play several games on neutral ground, and fan support played a significant role in Pari NN's 4-match unbeaten home run at the end of the last championship. It's also worth noting that the club has lost to Krasnodar in 6 consecutive Premier League meetings.
To defend their title, Krasnodar made some targeted acquisitions. Even after the winter break, the team showed excellent results, winning 9 out of 12 RPL matches, with the two losses in this period coming against Zenit and CSKA, who finished second and third. In general, Krasnodar had little trouble against lower-ranked opponents. I believe the nominal visitors will comfortably secure three points this time.
My prediction: Krasnodar to Win
