The second leg of the playoff for a spot in the Russian Premier League between Pari NN and Sochi will take place on May 31 at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. The first match ended 2-1 in favor of Pari NN. Pari NN vs. Sochi: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Pari NN
Viktor Goncharenko's team conceded first in the last match but managed to turn the game around, securing a 2-1 victory. This marked only their third win in the last 12 matches (2 draws, 7 losses). Notably, the team has failed to keep a clean sheet in 14 of their last 15 official matches. To retain their Premier League status, they need to avoid losing after 90 minutes. Pari NN might remain in the RPL even if they lose to Sochi on aggregate, as Khimki failed to secure a license for the next season's Premier League.
- The team has not won in 9 of their last 12 home matches in the RPL (4 draws, 5 losses).
- Exactly two or three goals were scored in 5 of their last 7 home Premier League games.
- Nizhny Novgorod conceded in 6 of their last 7 home matches in the league.
Predicted lineup for Pari NN (3-5-2)
Nikita Medvedev – Kirill Gotsuk, Viktor Alexandrov, Stanislav Magkeev – Nikita Kakkoev, Nikolay Kalinsky, Sven Karic, Alexander Troshechkin, Alexander Ektov – Juan Boselli, Vyacheslav Grulev.
Midfielder Konstantin Maradishvili and forward Alexander Koksharov will miss the match due to injuries.
Sochi
Robert Moreno's side suffered their third consecutive defeat after losing the first match, a first for the club this season. Notably, Sochi lost after scoring first for the second consecutive game. To secure a Premier League spot, the team needs to win by at least two goals after 90 minutes. If Sochi wins by a single goal, extra time will be played.
- The team has not won in 10 of their last 13 away matches in the First League (6 draws, 4 losses).
- The club has not conceded more than one goal in 7 of their last 10 away league matches.
- Sochi scored exactly once in 6 of their last 8 away matches in the First League.
Predicted lineup for Sochi (5-4-1)
Alexander Degtev – Ruslan Magal, Artem Makarchuk, Nabil Aberdin, Oleg Kozhemyakin, Vyacheslav Litvinov – Kirill Zaika, Ignacio Saavedra, Martin Kramaric, Roman Pasevich – Vladimir Pisarskiy.
Midfielder Kirill Kravtsov and forward Pavel Meleshin are out due to injuries. Forward Vladimir Pisarskiy will miss the match due to suspension.
Referee
Artem Chistyakov (Russia)
Matches – 18 (RPL, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 70;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.9;
Red cards shown – 4;
Average fouls per match – 30;
Penalties – 44%.
Match Prediction: Pari NN vs. Sochi
After their away victory, Nizhny Novgorod might focus on maintaining their advantage. I believe that even with a high likelihood of retaining their Premier League status regardless of the outcome, Pari NN will not take risks or play complacently. It should be noted that in the recently concluded championship, Nizhny Novgorod did not show high scoring ability even at home; in 14 previous home matches in the RPL, they scored more than one goal only twice.
Sochi has no choice but to go forward, but the team often struggles to create opportunities in away matches in the First League. In 9 of their last 10 away league matches, the players did not score more than one goal, and in two cases during this period, they failed to score at all.
I expect a low-scoring match, so my prediction: Total under 2.5 goals
