The Round 4 match of the Regional Path of the FONBET Russian Cup 2025/26 between Irkutsk and Chelyabinsk will take place on September 25 at the Trud Stadium. Irkutsk vs. Chelyabinsk: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Irkutsk
Konstantin Dzutsev's team has already played three rounds in the Russian Cup and won all of them convincingly. They first demolished Buryatia away (8-0), then consecutively defeated Sibir (2-0) and KDV (3-0) at home. In the past two seasons, the Irkutsk club was halted in the 2nd round, losing both times to Vladivostok's Dynamo. It's also worth noting that the team has never reached the playoff series in this tournament.
- At least one team failed to score in regular time in the last 5 matches of the club in the Russian Cup.
- No more than 3 goals were scored in 90 minutes in 4 of Irkutsk's last 5 games in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for Irkutsk (5-4-1)
Artem Tsygulev – Fedor Molotilov, Alexander Usov, Sergey Alekseev, Egor Belyaev, Alexey Naydenov – Dmitry Ikovanyuk, Maxim Mashnev, Daniil Oganichev, Egor Perevoznikov – Vladislav Lutashev.
Chelyabinsk
Roman Pilipchuk's team is starting their journey in this tournament from this stage. Last year, the club was eliminated from the Russian Cup at this very stage, losing to Tyumen 0-2. It's also noteworthy that over the past 15 years, Chelyabinsk has only twice reached the 5th round of the tournament. However, they did reach the Round of 16 in the 2009/10 season, where they were stopped by Mordovia (0-2).
- Chelyabinsk lost in regular time in 7 of their last 9 Russian Cup matches.
- At least one team failed to score in 90 minutes in the club's last 6 matches in this tournament.
- No more than two goals were scored in regular time in 5 of Chelyabinsk's last 6 games in the Russian Cup.
Predicted lineup for Chelyabinsk (4-4-2)
Ilya Tuseev – Bulat Gatin, Alexander Zhirov, Khetag Kochiev – Baba N’Diaye, Denis Samoylov, Konstantin Kertanov, Yan Gudkov – Wilfried Eza, Garrick Levin, Ramazan Gadzhimuradov.
Referee
Aleksey Lapatukhin (Russia)
Matches – 15 (FNL and Russian Cup, 2024/25 - 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 56;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.7;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 25;
Penalties – 13%.
Match Prediction: Irkutsk vs. Chelyabinsk
The visitors are justifiably the favorites in the upcoming match. After all, Chelyabinsk represents Russia's First League. Moreover, Roman Pilipchuk's team is among the top four and even contends for promotion. In the last league round, Chelyabinsk showcased their scoring prowess by thrashing Rodina 4-0 at home.
I believe that apart from the visitors, goals can also be expected from the hosts. Although Irkutsk represents the third strongest league and is only fifth in their division's standings, they perform well at home, averaging 2 goals per match. Additionally, Irkutsk had an impressive start in the Russian Cup, scoring 13 goals in their first three matches. Therefore, it's highly probable that this cup match will feature at least 3 goals.
My prediction – Total over 2.5 goals
