The Matchday 5 clash in the Russian Premier League between Krasnodar and Sochi will take place on August 17 at the Ozon Arena. Krasnodar vs. Sochi: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Krasnodar
In the last round, the team secured a 1-0 away victory over Orenburg, marking their third win in four matches this season (1 loss). Notably, Krasnodar kept a clean sheet in all their victories. The team has conceded only two goals so far, the best defensive record in the tournament. In the standings, Krasnodar is the closest challenger to the leading Lokomotiv, trailing by three points.
- At least one opponent failed to score in 5 of Krasnodar's last 7 matches in the Russian Premier League.
- The team has remained unbeaten in 8 of their last 9 home games in the Premier League (6 wins, 2 draws).
- At least three goals have been scored in 5 of the club's last 7 home matches in the championship.
Predicted lineup for Krasnodar (4-4-2)
Stanislav Agkatsev – Lucas Olaza, Diego Costa, Vitor Tormena, Sergey Petrov – Eduard Spertsyan, Douglas Augusto, Joao Bachi, Nikita Krivtsov – Victor Sa, John Cordoba.
Sochi
Roberto Moreno's side picked up their first points of the season in the last round. After three defeats, Sochi drew 1-1 at home against Dynamo Moscow. However, the team has conceded in 8 consecutive Russian Premier League matches. It's also worth noting that in the 4th round, Sochi had only one corner, with only Lokomotiv having a worse record. In the standings, the team is in 15th place.
- Sochi has scored in 6 of their last 8 Premier League matches.
- The team has not won any of their last 10 away matches in the championship (4 draws, 6 losses).
- In 5 of the last 7 away matches in this tournament, the club has conceded at least two goals.
Predicted lineup for Sochi (4-5-1)
Alexander Dyogtev – Kirill Zaika, Artem Makarchuk, Marcelo Alves, Vyacheslav Litvinov – Ignacio Saavedra, Dmitry Vasilyev, Anton Zinkovsky, Martin Kramaric, Kirill Kravtsov – Saul Guarirapa.
Forward Pavel Meleshin is injured.
Referee
Yevgeny Bulanov (Russia)
Matches – 6 (Russian Premier League, 2024/25 - 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 23;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.8;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 0%.
Match Prediction: Krasnodar vs. Sochi
Krasnodar faces a familiar opponent, having defeated them in six consecutive head-to-head meetings in the Russian Premier League. In all these encounters, Krasnodar scored at least two goals against Sochi. Based on the clubs' performances at the start of the season, Murad Musaev's side is likely to continue this streak.
Sochi was fortunate in their match against Dynamo. The Moscow team created 9 goal-scoring opportunities but lacked finishing, while Roberto Moreno's side had a 100% conversion rate. Had their opponent been more clinical, Sochi would have suffered their fourth consecutive defeat in the Russian Premier League. Moreover, the club has lost 4 of their last 5 away matches in this tournament.
Krasnodar, on the other hand, has won 6 of their last 7 home matches, losing only to the current leaders Lokomotiv. During this period, the team scored 16 goals, and such offensive prowess is likely to help them achieve a positive result against Sochi, who have conceded the most goals in the current championship.
My prediction: Krasnodar to win and Total over 1.5 goals
