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Table-toppers Zenit St. Petersburg will host FC Sochi in the latest round of Russian Premier League fixtures on Sunday.
Zenit come into this game fresh from a 4-0 win over Malmo in a UEFA Champions League group stage game this week. Zenit are flying high in the table and are four points clear of second-placed Dynamo Moscow.
FC Sochi, on the other hand, endured back-to-back defeats as they went down 3-0 to Krasnodar in last weekend's fixture.
Zenit St. Petersburg vs FC Sochi Head-To-Head
Zenit hold an enviable dominance in this fixture, having won their last five meetings against Sochi. The last time Sochi managed to win this tie was back in 2017 when they edged the Sky-Blues 3-2 in a home fixture.
Zenit's recent run proves their dominance in the league. They are unbeaten in their opening nine fixtures and managed to edge Krylya Sovetov 2-1 in their last league game.
Sochi currently sit sixth in the table and have picked up only six points from their last five league outings.
Zenit Form Guide: W-W-W-D-W
FC Sochi Form Guide: L-L-W-W-L
Zenit St. Petersburg vs FC Sochi Team News
Zenit
The visitors will be unable to call upon the services of Magomed Ozdoev and Vyacheslav Karavaev, who are recuperating from injuries.
Injured: Magomed Ozdoev, Vyacheslav Karavaev
Suspended: None
FC Sochi
Christian Noboa is expected to miss this tie following an injury he picked up against Krasnodar last weekend. Victorian Angban is expected to return to the first-team lineup, having recovered from a niggle.
Injured: Christian Noboa
Suspended: None
Zenit St. Petersburg vs FC Sochi Predicted XI
Zenit Saint Petersburg Predicted XI (4-4-2): Stanislav Kritsyuk, Aleksey Sutormin, Dejan Lovren, Yaroslav Rakitskiy, Douglas Santos, Aleksandr Erokhin, Daler Kuzyaev, Claudinho, Malcolm, Artem Dzyuba, Serdar Azmoun
FC Sochi Predicted XI (3-4-3): Soslan Dzhanaev; Ivan Miladinovic, Emanuel Mammana, Miha Mevlja; Sergey Terekhov, Ibrahim Tsallagov, Artur Yusupov, Timofey Margasov; Joaozinho, Victorian Angban, Nikita Burmistrov
Zenit St. Petersburg vs FC Sochi Prediction
Zenit will go into this game as overwhelming favorites. They will aim to wrap up a victory at home and maintain their distance with the Moscow-based clubs.
For rivals Sochi, this fixture gives them the ideal opportunity to pull off an upset and recover from their lost form.
Nonetheless, Zenit remains the team to beat in this fixture and we expect them to secure a narrow win.
Prediction: Zenit St. Petersburg 2-1 FC Sochi
