The Matchday 10 clash in the MIR RPL between CSKA and Baltika will take place on September 28 at the VEB Arena in Moscow. CSKA vs. Baltika: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
CSKA
Fabio Celestini's side claimed a 3-1 away victory over Sochi in the last round. This win marked their fifth in the current championship (3 draws, 1 loss), with the team scoring fewer than three goals in only one of those victories. CSKA has netted 18 goals in total, with only Krasnodar and Lokomotiv boasting higher tallies (20 goals each). However, the Moscow club has conceded in eight consecutive Premier League matches. They have climbed to second place in the standings, reducing the gap to the league leader to just one point.
- CSKA opened the scoring in 5 of their last 7 RPL matches.
- The team has won 8 of their last 10 home matches in the championship (2 draws).
- Moscow's side conceded exactly 1 goal in 6 of their last 8 home Premier League games.
Predicted lineup for CSKA (4-5-1)
Igor Akinfeev – Moises Barbosa, Matvey Kislyak, Matvey Lukin, Joao Victor – Daniel Ruiz, Milan Gajic, Ivan Oblyakov, Danil Krugovoy, Mateus Alves – Tamerlan Musaev.
Forward Kirill Glebov has returned to group training.
Baltika
In their last outing, the Kaliningrad side played to a goalless draw at home against Rostov. As a result, Baltika set an RPL record for the longest unbeaten streak from the start of the tournament among teams promoted from the FNL (4 wins, 5 draws). Additionally, Andrey Talalaev's squad has not conceded in four consecutive Premier League matches, leading the league in clean sheets this season with five. In the standings, the club has dropped to third place, just one point behind their closest rival.
- No more than two goals have been scored in Baltika's last 6 RPL matches.
- The team is unbeaten in their last 5 away Premier League games (3 wins, 2 draws).
- Baltika's scoring streak on the road in the championship stands at 9 matches.
Predicted lineup for Baltika (4-5-1)
Maxim Borisko – Sergey Varatynov, Kevin Andrade, Alexander Filin, Mingiyan Beveev – Vladislav Saus, Sergey Pryakhin, Ilya Petrov, Nikolai Titkov, Maxim Petrov – Bryan Gil.
Midfielder Andrey Mendel and defender Nathan Gassama are injured.
Referee
Sergey Ivanov (Russia)
Matches – 17 (RPL, 2024/25 - 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 59;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.5;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 28;
Penalties – 35%.
CSKA vs. Baltika: Match Prediction
The teams have already met twice this season. Their encounter in the national cup was quite competitive (2-0, 1-1). Notably, two goals were scored from penalties, and another was netted just moments before the final whistle. I anticipate another closely contested match in the championship.
Baltika boasts a four-match streak without conceding a goal, a feat matched only by Zenit. No other club has managed three consecutive clean sheets. In terms of xGA, Andrey Talalaev's team ranks second only to Krasnodar. However, it's worth noting that Baltika has failed to score in the last two rounds, despite Rostov allowing plenty of chances in their area.
CSKA lacks defensive reliability, but they have yet to concede more than one goal in the current championship. The team ranks third in scoring, but it's one thing to score freely against Akron and Sochi, and another to break down Baltika's defense, which has the best record for goals conceded.
Considering these factors, my prediction: Total under 2.5 goals
