Zenit St Petersburg vs Ural Predictions

• Zenit have conceded just five goals at home in the Russian Premier League this season.
• The hosts have kept a clean sheet in each of their last five home games in all competitions.
• Zenit average two goals per game on home soil, while Ural concede 1.62 goals per game on average.

Zenit leading the way in the Russian Premier League

Zenit are a force to be reckoned with in this season’s competition. 21 games in they have the league’s best defence, conceding just 9 goals, while their goals for of 37 is the 2nd highest in the league. They are also unbeaten so far at home in the league this season. 

Malcolm, purchased for over £35m from Barcelona, is finally fit and has started their last 2 league games, offering class and skill in the final third. They also boast other two quality attacking minded players. Artem Dzyuba has scored 11 in 20 this season, and his efficiency in front of goal has led to transfer links to Tottenham and Everton. Sarder Azmoun has scored 7 in the same number of games, and the Iranian is continually being linked to a multitude of clubs including Liverpool. Both played the last game despite fitness worries and can be expected to start today.

Mid-table Ural look for upset on Saturday

Ural Yekaterinburg – to give them their full name – have a squad value far below Zenit. One of their few recognisable names for Europeans will be ex-Fulham and Reading player Pavel Pogrebnyak, now 36. 

Both teams have favoured low scoring games recently; both of Zenit’s games since the winter break have been 0-0 home draws, while Ural followed a solid 1-1 draw with CSKA Moscow with a disappointing defeat to FC Sochi, a team towards the bottom of the table.

High scoring win expected for favourites Zenit

However, our Zenit vs Ural predictions expect a higher scoring game this time and our prediction for this match is for over 2.5 goals. On average, Zenit score 2 goals per home game, with Ural conceding 1.62 overall. With a full strength squad finally available, Zenit can be expected to dominate possession and create chances.

Zenit’s home defence is rock solid at the moment – they have conceded just 5 goals at home all season in the Premier League, and haven’t conceded at home in their last 5 games, including a 2-0 win for Lyon. We are therefore predicting a 3-0 win for Zenit.