The semi-final match of the first stage of the Fonbet Russian Cup 2024/25 Regional Path between Spartak and Ural will take place on April 15 at the Lukoil Arena in Moscow. Spartak vs. Ural: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Spartak
Dejan Stanković's side defeated Akron 3-2 away in the previous round. This victory marked Spartak's sixth win in the current Russian Cup campaign. Notably, it was the first time in four national cup matches that the team scored more than one goal. However, Spartak cannot boast a strong defensive record in this tournament, having kept a clean sheet in only one of their last seven matches.
- At least three goals have been scored in 7 of Spartak's last 9 home matches in the Russian Cup.
- The team conceded exactly 1 or 2 goals in 5 of their last 6 home cup games.
- Both teams scored in 8 of Spartak's last 11 home games in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for Spartak (3-4-3)
Aleksandr Maksimenko – Daniil Denisov, Alexis Duarte, Oleg Ryabchuk – Danil Prutsev, Ruslan Litvinov, Christopher Martins, Roman Zobnin – Theo Bongonda, Pablo Solari, Levi Garcia.
Ural
The team from Yekaterinburg knocked out another RPL representative, defeating Rubin 1-0 in the previous round. This extended Ural's unbeaten run in the Russian Cup to five matches (4 wins, 1 draw in regular time). Ural has scored in 10 consecutive matches in this tournament. Last season, the club failed to progress past this stage, losing to Rostov 1-3.
- Ural has not conceded more than one goal in their last 5 Russian Cup games.
- The team has not won in regular time in 8 of their last 10 away matches in the national cup (4 draws, 4 losses).
- Ural scored exactly 1 goal in 9 of their last 10 away games in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for Ural (3-5-2)
Ivan Kuznetsov – Artyom Mamin, Vladislav Malkevich, Stanislav Bessmertny – Timur Ayupov, Ivan Chudin, Dmitry Kuchugura, Yegor Mosin, Fanil Sungatulin – Andrey Egorychev, Yevgeny Markov.
Referee
Yevgeny Kukulyak (Russia)
Matches – 6 (Russian Cup, 2023/24 - 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 25;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.2;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 26;
Penalties – 0%.
Spartak vs. Ural: Match Prediction
In the last RPL round, the Moscow club lost at home to Dynamo Makhachkala 1-2. This defeat will add motivation for Dejan Stanković's side in the upcoming cup match as they seek to redeem themselves in the eyes of their fans. Notably, Spartak could have scored at least twice in their sixth consecutive home Premier League match but failed to convert a penalty against Dynamo. The club has no issues with scoring in the Russian Cup, being the fourth most prolific team in the current tournament with an average of 2 goals per match.
The Yekaterinburg team approaches the match in high spirits, having secured two consecutive victories in the FNL. However, they conceded three goals in these games, despite facing teams from the lower half of the standings, who are not particularly strong in attack. In the national cup, Ural has kept a clean sheet only once in their last 14 away matches. With such defensive issues, it is unlikely the visitors will stop the attack of a team contending for the RPL title.
My prediction: Spartak Individual Total Over 1.5
