The Matchday 3 clash of the FONBET Russian Cup 2025/26 between Orenburg and Zenit will take place on August 26 at the Gazovik Stadium. Orenburg vs. Zenit: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Orenburg
Vladimir Slishkovich's team, after losing to Rubin at the start of the tournament, defeated Akhmat in the last round (2-1). This victory was only their second in the last nine Russian Cup matches (7 losses). The three points lifted Orenburg to third place in Group A. It's worth noting that the club has conceded in 8 of their last 9 national cup matches.
- Orenburg has scored in 11 of their last 13 Russian Cup games.
- At home, Orenburg has not drawn in their last six matches in this tournament (3 wins, 3 draws).
- The team has not conceded more than one goal in 6 of their last 8 home matches in the national cup.
Predicted lineup for Orenburg (3-5-2)
Andrey Khodanovich – Alexey Tataev, Maxim Syshchenko, Nikolay Koserik – Georgy Zotov, Alexey Baranovsky, Vladislav Kamilov, Stanislav Poroykov, Atsamaz Revazov – Gedeon Guzina, Jordi Thompson.
Zenit
Sergey Semak's team has claimed two victories in this tournament. After an away match against Akhmat, the St. Petersburg side triumphed over Rubin at home (3-0). Notably, Zenit is the only team among the group stage participants to win both matches in regular time. The team tops Group A, also leading in goals scored (5). Zenit has won 10 of their last 11 Russian Cup games (1 loss).
- At least one opponent failed to score in 5 of Zenit's last 6 national cup matches.
- No more than two goals have been scored in 5 of Zenit's last 7 away matches in this tournament.
- The team has opened the scoring in 6 of their last 7 away games in the Russian Cup.
Predicted lineup for Zenit (4-4-2)
Denis Adamov – Arsen Adamov, Nuraly Alip, Roman Vega, Strahinja Erakovic – Andrey Mostovoy, Yuri Gorshkov, Yaroslav Mikhailov, Maxim Glushenkov – Luciano Gondou, Mateo Cassierra.
Match Prediction: Orenburg vs. Zenit
While Zenit is struggling in the RPL, Sergey Semak's team is performing excellently in the Russian Cup. Zenit has collected maximum points and is the top scorer among all group stage participants. In the upcoming game, we are likely to see a rotated lineup from Zenit, but this shouldn't prevent them from defeating a familiar opponent. Zenit has beaten Orenburg in 10 of their last 12 Premier League encounters (1 draw, 1 loss).
Vladimir Slishkovich is also expected to give playing time to the nearest reserves. However, Orenburg's bench quality is significantly inferior to Zenit's. Even the main squad can surprise fans unpleasantly, as evidenced by their last RPL round, where they conceded twice despite having a numerical advantage. Orenburg's defense issues are also evident in the national cup, having conceded in 8 of their last 9 matches, with at least two goals in 5 of those. Containing one of the tournament's best attacks will be very challenging.
Considering these facts, my prediction: Zenit to win and Total Over 1.5 goals
