The second leg of the Russian Cup 2024/25 RPL Path semi-final between Dynamo Moscow and CSKA will take place on April 16 at the VTB Arena. The first match ended with a 2-1 victory for CSKA. Dynamo Moscow vs. CSKA: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Dynamo Moscow
Marcel Licka's side lost the first leg away, 1-2. As a result, Dynamo failed to win in regular time for the fourth time in their last six Russian Cup matches (1 draw, 3 losses). However, the team extended their scoring streak in this tournament to eight games. Notably, they have scored 20 goals in the current tournament, second only to Lokomotiv (21).
- The team has not lost in regular time in 16 of their last 19 home matches in the Russian Cup (14 wins, 2 draws).
- At least three goals have been scored in 7 of their last 9 home games in this tournament.
- Both teams have scored in regular time in 5 of Dynamo's last 7 home matches in the national cup.
Predicted lineup for Dynamo Moscow (4-5-1)
Andrey Lunev – Juan Caceres, Dmitry Skopintsev, Roberto Fernandez, Fabian Balbuena – Daniil Fomin, Dmitry Alexandrov, Egor Smelov, Bitello, Yaroslav Gladyshev – El Mehdi Mauhub.
Forwards Artur Gomez and Konstantin Tyukavin are sidelined with long-term injuries. Forward El Mehdi Mauhub is suspended.
CSKA
By winning the first leg, Marko Nikolic's side extended their unbeaten run in regular time in the national cup to eight matches (6 wins, 2 draws). However, CSKA failed to keep a clean sheet for the first time in seven games in this tournament. Overall, the club has conceded only three goals in the current Russian Cup, ranking alongside Zenit as one of the two best teams in this regard among those still in the competition.
- The club has not lost in regular time in 12 of their last 13 away matches in the national cup (5 wins, 7 draws).
- At least one of the opponents has failed to score in 90 minutes in six of the team's previous away matches in this tournament.
- No more than two goals have been scored in regular time in CSKA's last nine away games in the Russian Cup.
Predicted lineup for CSKA (4-3-3)
Vladislav Torop – Milan Gajic, Igor Diveev, Willian Rocha, Moises Barbosa – Ivan Oblyakov, Matvey Kislyak, Miralem Pjanic – Tamerlan Musayev, Sekou Koita, Abbos Faizullaev.
Referee
Artyom Chistyakov (Russia)
Matches – 15 (RPL and Russian Cup, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 59;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.9;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 27;
Penalties – 53%.
Match Prediction: Dynamo Moscow vs. CSKA
At home, Dynamo aims to take the initiative and apply significant pressure on their opponents. The team often succeeds in cup matches, preventing their opponents from creating many attacking opportunities: in their last 22 home matches in the Russian Cup, only four times have they conceded more than one goal in regular time. Moreover, Dynamo has kept a clean sheet nine times during this period.
CSKA, in away games, focuses on solid defending and tries to achieve the desired result with minimal effort. The team does not spend much time on the attack and scores rarely: in their last nine away matches in the national cup, the club's players have only managed to score more than once in 90 minutes on two occasions. Furthermore, CSKA failed to score in four of these matches.
Considering the result of the first leg, I expect the visitors to play cautiously and not create many attacking chances. My prediction: CSKA Individual Total Under 1.5
