The Matchday 6 clash in the Russian Premier League between Lokomotiv and Rostov will take place on August 23 at the RZD Arena in Moscow. Lokomotiv vs. Rostov: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Lokomotiv
Mikhail Galaktionov's side dropped points for the first time in the current championship last round. However, the draw with Baltika (1-1) extended their unbeaten run in the RPL to 11 matches (7 wins, 4 draws). It's worth noting that in 8 of these matches, the Railwaymen failed to keep a clean sheet. In the standings, the Moscow club retained the top spot. Lokomotiv also shares the lead in average shots on target with 6.2.
- At least three goals have been scored in 6 of the last 7 matches of the Muscovites in the Premier League.
- At home, the team has not lost in 12 of their last 13 league games (8 wins, 4 draws).
- In 5 of their last 7 home RPL matches, Lokomotiv scored at least twice.
Predicted lineup for Lokomotiv (4-4-2)
Anton Mitryushkin – Alexander Silyanov, Maxim Nenakhov, Cesar Montes, Evgeny Morozov – Dmitry Barinov, Alexey Batrakov, Artem Karpukas, Zelimkhan Bakaev – Dmitry Vorobyov, Alexander Rudenko.
Defender Ilya Samoshnikov has transferred to Spartak.
Rostov
Rostov suffered a 0-1 away defeat to Rubin in the last round. This loss was their sixth in the last eight league matches (1 win, 1 draw), but it's worth noting that they conceded more than one goal in only two of these games. In the last round, Rostov managed just one corner, the lowest tally of any team. In the standings, the club dropped to 14th place.
- Rostov conceded first in 7 of their last 9 Premier League matches.
- Away from home, the team hasn't won in 6 RPL matches (2 draws, 4 losses).
- They have scored against their upcoming opponent in 8 of their last 9 league meetings.
Predicted lineup for Rostov (4-3-3)
Rustam Yatimov – Umar Sako, Viktor Melekhin, Ilya Vakhania, Andrey Langovich – Konstantin Kuchaev, Alexey Mironov, Daniil Shantaley – Egor Golenkov, Ronaldo, Timur Suleymanov.
Defenders Eyad El-Askalani and Dmitry Chistyakov are injured.
Referee
Sergey Cheban (Russia)
Matches – 9 (RPL, 2024/25 - 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 31;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.4;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 28;
Penalties – 22%.
Match Prediction: Lokomotiv vs. Rostov
The Railwaymen dropped their first points in the championship, but the team is following their championship pace from the 2017/18 season. It's also worth noting the level of their previous opponent, Baltika, who currently look excellent. In contrast, Lokomotiv's upcoming opponent started the tournament poorly. Rostov has only managed to beat Paris NN, who are in the relegation zone, and that victory was at home, while they have lost all three away games in the RPL 2025/26.
Lokomotiv ended a 6-match Premier League streak of scoring at least two goals, but breaking down Kaliningrad's defense is no easy task. However, the Railwaymen have scored 13 times in their last five home league matches. Rostov's regularly conceding defense is unlikely to cope with such an attack.
Additionally, Lokomotiv has not lost to Rostov in 5 of their last 6 Premier League meetings, with at least two goals scored in 4 of these matches. Given the current form of the teams, I expect a similar outcome. My prediction: Lokomotiv not to lose and Total Over 1.5
