The Matchday 16 clash of the Russian Premier League between Spartak and CSKA will take place on November 22 at the Lukoil Arena in Moscow. Spartak vs. CSKA: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Spartak
In the previous round, the team secured a 2-1 away victory against Akhmat. This win was only Spartak's second in their last five league matches (1 draw, 2 losses), although they have scored in all these encounters. However, they have also been vulnerable at the back, conceding in 7 of their last 9 Premier League games. Notably, in the match against Akhmat, the team recorded their worst foul statistics of the season with 23 fouls (average of 16). In the league table, the Moscow club is in 6th place, trailing the leaders Krasnodar by 8 points.
The contract with head coach Dejan Stankovic has been terminated. Vadim Romanov has been appointed as the interim manager.
- Both teams scored in 7 of Spartak's last 9 RPL matches.
- The team is unbeaten at home in 6 consecutive league matches (4 wins, 2 draws).
- In 7 of their last 9 home games in this tournament, the club has not conceded more than one goal.
Predicted lineup for Spartak (3-4-3)
Alexander Maksimenko – Daniil Denisov, Christopher Wu, Alexander Djiku – Ezequiel Barco, Igor Dmitriev, Nail Umyarov, Gedson Fernandes – Levi Garcia, Marquinhos, Manfred Ugalde.
Defender Srdjan Babic is injured. Forward Pablo Solari is suspended.
CSKA
Fabio Celestini's side secured a 1-0 away victory against Dynamo Makhachkala in the last round. The Army Men have won 6 of their last 7 RPL matches, keeping clean sheets in their last three games. Notably, this is CSKA's longest run without conceding since the middle of the last championship. At the end of the first round, the club is in 2nd place with 33 points, the best result since the 2015/16 season when the Army Men last won the championship.
- The Army Men have not conceded more than one goal in 14 of their last 16 Premier League games.
- The team is unbeaten in 17 of their last 19 away league matches (11 wins, 6 draws).
- In 5 of their last 7 away games in this tournament, the club has not scored more than once.
Predicted lineup for CSKA (5-4-1)
Vladislav Torop – Matvey Lukin, Milan Gajic, Joao Victor, Igor Diveev, Danil Krugovoy – Kirill Glebov, Enrique Carmo, Rodrigo Villagra, Matvey Kislyak – Tamerlan Musaev.
Midfielder Mateus Alves, goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, and defender Moisés Barbosa have recovered from injuries. Defender Ramiro di Luciano remains sidelined.
Referee
Sergey Karasev (Russia)
Matches – 8 (RPL, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 48;
Average yellow cards per match – 6;
Red cards shown – 5;
Average fouls per match – 28;
Penalties – 38%.
Match Prediction: Spartak vs. CSKA
Just over a month has passed since the last meeting between the teams, which ended in a 3-2 victory for the Army Men. Despite this, Spartak is once again the favorite, although changes in the coaching staff make the outcome of the match even harder to predict. However, I expect goals from both sides once again.
Spartak has a 13-match scoring streak in the RPL. However, during this period, the team has only kept three clean sheets, shutting out low-scoring Nizhny Novgorod and the struggling Orenburg side. Among the top half of the league table, the team has conceded the most goals.
Until recently, CSKA had not managed to keep back-to-back clean sheets in the league. But during their recent 3-match clean sheet run, their opponents were the aforementioned Pari NN and Dynamo Makhachkala, the only clubs yet to reach double digits in goals scored. Meanwhile, the Army Men have failed to score in just three RPL 2025/26 matches.
My prediction: Both teams to score – yes
