The Matchday 4 clash of the Russian Premier League between CSKA and Rubin will take place on August 9 at the VEB Arena in Moscow. CSKA vs. Rubin: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
CSKA
The Army Men recently shared the spoils with Zenit in an away match (1-1). CSKA remains unbeaten in 17 league matches (10 wins, 7 draws), with their last longer unbeaten streak dating back to 2015 (21 matches). Notably, during this period, the Moscow club has conceded more than one goal only once. Fabio Celestini's side currently sits in 8th place in the standings, having scored the fewest goals among the top half of the table with just 3.
- In 9 of their last 10 league matches, the Moscow side has scored exactly 1 or 2 goals.
- At home, the Army Men have won 6 of their last 7 RPL matches (1 draw).
- The team has opened the scoring in 7 of their last 9 home Premier League games.
Predicted lineup for CSKA (4-4-2)
Igor Akinfeev – Moises Barbosa, Igor Diveev, Matvey Lukin, Milan Gajic – Mateus Alves, Matvey Kislyak, Ivan Oblyakov, Danil Krugovoy – Allera, Kirill Glebov.
Midfielder Rodrigo Villagra and forward Artem Shumansky are injured. Defender Kellven has left the team.
Rubin
Rashid Rakhimov's men defeated Sochi in their last match thanks to a brace from Mirlin Daku (2-1). The Kazan team remains unbeaten in the current championship (2 wins, 1 draw), scoring exactly two goals in each match. Moreover, Rubin has scored at least twice in 5 consecutive league games. However, they have kept a clean sheet only once during this period. The team currently occupies 4th place in the standings.
- Rubin has not lost in 5 of their last 6 RPL matches (4 wins, 1 draw).
- In 7 of their last 9 away games in this tournament, the Kazan side has conceded at least two goals.
- Rubin has scored against their upcoming opponent in 8 of their last 9 league encounters.
Predicted lineup for Rubin (5-3-2)
Yevgeny Staver – Ruslan Bezrukov, Yegor Teslenko, Igor Vujacic, Alexei Gritsaenko, Dmitry Kabutov – Veldin Hodja, Uguchukwu Iwu, Alexander Yukich – Dardan Shabanhadjai, Mirlin Daku.
Defender Ilya Rozhkov was injured in the last round. Defender Denil Maldonado may also miss the match.
Referee
Vladimir Moskalev (Russia)
Matches – 12 (RPL, 2024/25 - 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 49;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.1;
Red cards shown – 5;
Average fouls per match – 26;
Penalties – 17%.
CSKA vs. Rubin: Match Prediction
Bookmakers favor the Army Men in this encounter, although the Moscow club has been unable to defeat the Kazan side in their last four meetings. Given the underestimation of Rubin, I suggest focusing on the scoring ability of Rashid Rakhimov's team.
Rubin boasts the fourth-best scoring record in the current championship. Moreover, the team's goal-scoring streak in the RPL has been ongoing since early April, spanning 11 matches. In the last five games, Rubin has scored at least twice. The club does not create many chances, but their conversion rate is the third best in the league.
CSKA has kept a clean sheet only in the first round, thanks to Igor Akinfeev's outstanding performance. I believe the Army Men's defense will struggle to contain a consistently scoring Rubin. Furthermore, the Kazan side has scored against the Moscow team in their last five RPL meetings at their ground.
My prediction: Rubin Individual Total Over 0.5
