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Russian football is set to make a return with a set of club friendlies this week as PFC Sochi take on Rubin Kazan on Wednesday. Both teams can pack a punch on their day and have a point to prove going into this game.
PFC Sochi secured a third-place finish in the Russian Premier League and have grown in stature over the past year. The away side edged Baltika to a 1-0 victory last week and will be confident going into this match.
Rubin Kazan, on the other hand, finished in 10th place in the league table and endured a poor season by their standards. The hosts were held to a 0-0 stalemate by Wisla Plock in their previous game and will need to take it up a notch in this fixture.
Rubin Kazan vs PFC Sochi Head-to-Head
Rubin Kazan and PFC Sochi are on an even footing as far as the head-to-head record is concerned and have won three matches apiece out of a total of seven games played between the two teams.
The previous meeting between the two Russian outfits took place in November last year and ended in a 2-1 victory for Rubin Kazan. Both teams ended the game with ten men on the pitch and will need to be more robust this week.
Rubin Kazan form guide: D-D-L-L-L
PFC Sochi form guide: W-D-W-W-L
Rubin Kazan vs PFC Sochi Team News
Rubin Kazan
Marat Apshatsev and Mikhail Kostyukov are injured at the moment and have been ruled out of this fixture. Djordje Despotovic has ended his stint at Rubin Kazan and will not be included in the squad.
Injured: Marat Apshatsev, Mikhail Kostyukov
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
PFC Sochi
PFC Sochi have no injury concerns at the moment and will likely field their best team this week. The away side is unlikely to make drastic changes to its lineup for this fixture.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Rubin Kazan vs PFC Sochi Predicted XI
Rubin Kazan Predicted XI (4-4-2): Yuri Dyupin; Georgi Zotov, Filip Uremovic, Egor Teslenko, Aleksandr Lomovitskiy; Leon Musaev, Hwang In-Beom, Sead Haksabanovic, Soltmurad Bakaev; Aleksandr Zuev, German Onugkha
PFC Sochi Predicted XI (3-5-2): Denis Adamov; Vanja Drkjusic, Igor Yurganov, Rodrigao; Sergey Terekhov; Ibrahim Tsallagov, Christian Noboa, Victorien Angban, Kirill Zaika; Artur Yusupov, Nikita Burmistrov
Rubin Kazan vs PFC Sochi Prediction
Rubin Kazan have been in poor form over the past year and will need to adopt a fresh approach to the new season. The hosts have made progress this month but have plenty of work to do to become a title contender.
PFC Sochi have stepped up as a force in the Russian Premier League and can pack a punch on their day. The away side is the better team at the moment and holds the upper hand going into this game.
Prediction: Rubin Kazan 1-3 PFC Sochi
