Russia Premier League predictions and odds

One of the most important factors for successful football betting is knowing the game itself. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way of attaining this knowledge – you simply have to love football and follow it for years.

Betting Fellow is here to help you with anything related to online sports betting, so we can at least point you in the right direction. We’ll try to do this by providing you with overviews of leagues you might not be as familiar with as you might want to be. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the Russian Premier League.

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Russian Premier League History and General Info

Often abbreviated to RPL, the Russian Premier League is the highest tier of professional football in Russia. It consists of 16 of the best association football clubs in the country. It is currently officially called the Rosgosstrakh Russian Football Championship due to a sponsorship deal with one of Russia’s leading insurance companies.

As of the writing of this review, the UEFA league coefficients rank the Russian Premier League as the 7th-best national league in Europe. This ranking system bases such rankings on performances during the past five years. This means that the RPL is one of the biggest professional football competitions in the world.

The league in its current form was founded only 19 years ago, in 2001. However, the true history of top-flight leagues in Russia starts way back in 1936 while it was still part of the Soviet Union. The highest division of football in the USSR was the Soviet Top League.

The Soviet Top League was established on the initiative of Nikolai Starostin, the founder and head of the Spartak sports society. He is widely considered to be the creator of the Soviet football league system and is a very important figure in the history of USSR’s professional football. The League was originally called Group A. It changed several names over the decades, including the First Group after World War 2 and the Higher League after 1970.

Back in the day, the Soviet Union was a powerhouse in terms of world sports. The Soviet Top League ranked as the second-best league among UEFA members in the 1988-89 season. Following the country’s dissolution in 1991, however, the top-flight league was also splintered into several national leagues – most notably the Ukranian Premier League and the Russian Premier League. Since the international community widely considers Russia to be the USSR’s political successor state, UEFA also considers the Russian Premier League to have succeeded the Soviet Top League.

However, since several major leagues were spawned from the STL, discussing team records and titles can get a bit muddy. Keep this in mind when we discuss such topics later in this article. Between 1991 and 2001, Russia’s highest tier league was the Russian Football Championship. It was rather short-lived but worked a lot like the league we have today. In terms of structure, the RPL follows a mostly standard format. The 16 teams all play each other twice, once home and once away, for a total of 30 matches per team. The teams are then ranked based on a point system in which three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw. In case of a tie between two teams, they are further ranked by the number of wins, then the goal difference, followed by several other factors like head-to-head results.

The highest-ranked team are named Champions, and qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage, along with the runners-up. The third-ranked team qualify for the Champions League qualifying round. The next two teams on the board qualify for the Europa League.

The two teams with the least points are relegated to the National Football League (Formerly known as the First Division) and are replaced by the top-ranked two teams from that 2nd tier league. Matches used to be played between March and November in order to avoid the infamous Russian winter, but that changed in 2010. Nowadays, they’re played between autumn and spring, like in most European national leagues.

From 1991 to this day, the most decorated team in the RPL’s history is Spartak Moscow with 10 titles and 5 runner-up positions. They are followed by CSKA Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg with 6 and 5 titles, respectively.

The league’s all-time top scorer is Oleg Veretennikov, who played for many different teams throughout his career. (Soviet Top League appearances are taken into account for individual players.) The record for most appearances is held by CSKA Moscow’s Sergei Ignashevich with 489 outings.

Russian Premier League Title Challengers

The Russian Premier League 2021/22 season is kicking off, leading to a whole new set of outright predictions. The previous season was full of surprises, all things considered. For instance, Krasnodar took an unprecedented dive, ending up 10th despite being one of the league’s biggest favourites. FC Sochi and Lokomotiv exceeded all expectations, too.

Let’s focus on the current season, though. We’ll base our outright Russian Premier League 2021/22 predictions on the odds offered at some of the best bookmakers online.

Zenit St. Petersburg are the obvious favourites, which should come as no surprise. With prices set at around 1.35, we doubt anyone can pose a serious challenge to their campaign to defend the title. Next in line are Moscow-based Lokomotiv and Spartak, with prices of around 9.00. CSKA are apparently fourth in line with prices close to 17.00.

In other words, the 2021/22 Russian Premier League betting odds are quite clear – Zenit will win, with the several teams from Moscow left to scramble for 2nd place and entry into the third qualifying round of the Champions League.

Zenit St. Petersburg

The dominance of the Zeniters was quite apparent to everyone who caught the moment they secured last season’s title, their third in a row. They did o with a crushing 6-1 victory over Lokomotiv, who were second at the moment. They went on to win their seventh Russian Super Cup as well, though they missed out on the treble. To make things more interesting, they even did so after several key players left the squad.

Long story short, with the heavy financial backing and the sure leadership of Sergey Semak, they’re not likely to fail. They won every season with Semak at the helm, and that’s not likely to end. Success on an international level continues to elude them, though, and is likely their primary goal going forward.

The important departures we jus mentioned are Sebastián Driussi, a left-winger who was a key connecting player. Midfielder Claudinho was brought in for a hefty €12 million fee, likely as a sort of replacement for the role. Andrey Lunev also left for Leverkusen, leaving Semak with few options for a first-pick goalkeeper.

However, the front remains as lethal as ever, with a duo of centre-forwards in Artem Dzyuba and Sardar Azmoun. They were the two best goalscorers in the Russian Premier League 2020/21 season.

Lokomotiv Moscow

Considering Lokomotiv’s placement as 3rd in 2020/21 is actually a drop from the previous two years, this club is somewhat established as the favourite runners-up. They also managed to win last year’s Cup competition despite ranking 5th in the league in terms of funding.

They lost the 2nd spot last season to Spartak and a one-point advantage, which is narrow enough to be considered a fluke. The most obvious culprit is the lack of a true goal-getter, and coach Nikolic seems to have been unable to address this issue. Instead, he opted to double down on the solid defence. Defensive midfielder Alexis Beka Beka was signed over the summer, as were defenders Tin Jedvaj and Maksim Nenakhov.

Despite Grzegorz Krychowiak’s departure to Krasnodar, Lokomotiv still boasts what is easily the best defensive lineup of Russia’s top flight. Between backs like Pablo and midfielders like Dmitri Barinov, getting a clear shot at their goal is quite difficult. As far as the offence goes, consider this: the best scorer on the team in the previous season was Krychowiak, a defensive midfielder.

Spartak Moscow

The 2020/21 season was a great return to form for the Red-and-whites, who narrowly secured 2nd place. Though ultimately left without any titles, this was the best result they’ve recorded since 2017. Moreover, a recent influx of funding left them in a better position to challenge Zenit than any other team.

Winning the league is still an extremely unlikely outcome, though. Coach Rui Vitória replaced Domenico Tedesco, and the new management is undergoing some growing pains. That said, the previous year’s solid lineup remains mostly unchanged. Forwards Jordan Larsson and Aleksandr Sobolev are the league’s third- and fourth-best goalscorers, which is no small feat. Winger Quincy Promes also contributes to a lethal attacking formation.

Their defence is led by Aleksandr Maksimenko, who is widely considered to be the best goalkeeper in the Russian Premier League. Team captain Georgiy Dzhikiya is also a noteworthy full-back who’s important to many of Spartak’s strategies.

The most notable transfer of this summer period is the arrival of Chelsea’s Victor Moses. He’s bound to give the squad’s midfield even more width, making Spartak Moscow one of the most well-rounded rosters in the top flight.

CSKA Moscow

The 6th position CSKA ended up in last season is their worst result in the 21st century. As such, it’s a bit strange that the Russian Premier Liga betting odds place them on equal footing with Spartak. This poor outcome was the culmination of a long, slow decline. In short, we would advise against backing this team if you manage to find a Russian Premier League Top 2 Finish betting market. It appears most bookies offer negative value for CSKA across the board.

Our reasons are quite simple. First of all, the team went through yet another change in management, which were quite common ever since Viktor Goncharenko departed. Very little has been done to improve the lineup, with the only major transfer being the departure of Nair Tiknizyan, a fairly accomplished midfielder.

There are still some fairly impressive players on the roster, mind you, such as attacking midfielder Nikola Vlasic and right-back Mario Fernandes. However, it’s questionable how much they’ll be able to achieve with crushed spirits and no cohesive formation.

Russian Premier League Relegation Candidates

Although it might seem less important for Russian Premier League betting at first glance, knowing which teams are most likely to be relegated to the National Football League is crucial for getting a good sense of the team rankings.

FC Nizhny Novgorod

This young club has achieved admirable successes in the short time they’ve existed. However, all traditional indications and betting odds point to the fact that they won’t stick around for long. Nizhny Novgorod were founded in 2015, and their years since then have been a straight shot to the top flight. Still, between no serious funding, no experience in top tier football, and being promoted as the 1st Division’s 3rd-best team after 4 competing years, they’re not likely to do too well. Most outright betting odds agree with this sentiment. However, this club may be an interesting wild card to keep an eye on in the future.

Krylya Sovetov Samara

The other freshly promoted team are Krylya, though they’re no strangers to the Russian Premier League. In fact, they’ve been yo-yo-ing between the top and second flight for more than 5 years now. As such, they’re favourites for relegation purely based on consistency. While there are younger and less funded clubs on the table, few have been having such major issues with keeping their footing in the league. With no major improvements since the disastrous season in 2019/20, we can’t expect too much from this team.

Russian Premier League Top Players

In this section, we’ll be taking a quick look at some of the Russian Premier’s league most distinguished individual players.

Nikola Vlašić

The Croatian attacking midfielder is currently part of CSKA’s squad and arguably the most valuable player in the league. He first came to prominence with a move to Everton, and fans and critics alike were baffled at The Toffees’ decision to let him go so easily.

He originally came to Russia on a loan to CSKA, but evidently, something clicked, and he was quickly signed on a more permanent basis. Vlašić is a stunningly able striker, acclaimed for his accurate and powerful long-range shots. He recorded 11 goals and 5 assists over 30 appearances last season, even though goalscoring was never his main role in CSKA’s formation.

Sardar Azmoun

At 19 goals and 6 assists, Azmoun was the second most prolific scorer in the 2020/21 RPL season. Funnily enough, his teammate Dzyuba overtook him in the last game of the season by scoring no less than 4 times. Nonetheless, Azmoun was judged to be a more consistently performing member of the Zenit squad and named the Player of the Season.

Often compared to Zlatan Ibrahimović, this Iranian striker is known for his aerial ability and sudden bursts of acceleration.

Malcom

At 24 years of age, Malcom Filipe Silva de Oliveira is already considered one of the most audacious wingers in the world. This young Brazillian is an inspiring success story coming from the streets of Sao Paolo, and one of the most highly valued players in the RPL.

He first made his fame with Brazil’s Corinthians and Bordeaux, continued on to a brief year with Barcelona, and is now an established and pivotal part of Zenit’s starting 11. Considering the €40 million fee Zenit paid for him, his performances in the past few seasons left a lot to be desired. Still, he’s an incredible individual player, which is hard to deny.

Russian Premier League Rising Stars

Shapi Suleymanov

Krasnodar’s 20-year-old right-winger may not be seen as the wunderkind he once was, but there’s still a lot of untapped potential in this young player. The 2018/19 season was Suleymanov’s first stint in the highest echelon of Russian football, and he managed to score 6 goals over 8 games. Still, the high number of assists remains his best asset if we’re strictly looking at stats.

Suleymanov’s rise to prominence seems to have hit a roadblock in Krasnodar, but there’s no denying his talent.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Rubin Kazan jumped up from 10th to 4th place between the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, in large part thanks to some promising young talent they acquired. 20-year-old right-winger Kvaratskhelia is one of these driving forces, and he’s already looking at a promising international career. He’s reportedly wanted by Tottenham, and will likely greet the 2022/23 season as part of the Spurs.

Russian Premier League Derby Matches

Moscow Derby

A rivalry as old as 1922, this derby is the match-up between two of the biggest football teams in Russia’s capital of Moscow – Spartak and CSKA (Although, nowadays there’s something to be said about Lokomotiv.)

It should be noted, however, that this name is sometimes given to any match played between any of the following: Torpedo Moscow, Spartak Moscow, CSKA Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow and Dynamo Moscow. The current balance of power between these varies, as does the importance of their respective rivalries.

The Rivalry of Two Capitals

Again, this derby has been attached to several different rivalries. Zenit St. Petersburg is always on one end; on the other is any of Moscow’s leading clubs, namely Spartak and CSKA.

Russian Premier League Best Stadiums

VEB Arena

Also known as Arena CSKA due to UEFA sponsorship regulations, this multi-purpose sports stadium has a capacity of just over 30,000. As you might have guessed, it is CSKA’s home turf but is also occasionally used by the Russian national team.

Otkritie Arena

Spartak’s base of operations, the Otkitie arena may be familiar to football fans as one of the venues for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It has a capacity of 45,360 and was completed in 2010. The name is due to a sponsorship deal with the Otkritie financial group, but it’s usually referred to simply as Spartak Stadium.

Krasnodar Stadium

Built in 2016, Krasnodar’s new stadium is an absolute architectural wonder. It is hailed as one of the most modern sports arenas in the world and can house up to 35,000 spectators.