Rubin Kazan surprised onlookers on matchday 1 in the Russian Premier League with a 1-0 win over Spartak Moscow.
Now, Leonid Slutsky’s team are aiming for a second straight win away at Arsenal Tula on Friday night.
Arsenal Tula go into the game following a 3-1 loss to Lokomotiv Moscow. The result almost went much differently as Arsenal Tula scored after 22 minutes through Sergei Tkachyov.
With Arsenal Tula heading toward a win, they conceded three times in the final 10 minutes of the game. Arsenal Tula allowed Lokomotiv Moscow to score their first goal just one minute after Artyom Sokol was sent off.
Rubin Kazan’s 1-0 win against Spartak Moscow came thanks to an Ilya Samoshnikov 49th-minute goal. The Stones kept 42% possession and conceded 13 shots to Spartak Moscow but still claimed the win thanks to Samoshnikov’s goal.
Slutsky’s team have won their last four matches against Arsenal Tula. Two of those four games ended in wins to nil while last season’s games in the Russian Premier League ended with both sides scoring and over 2.5 goals scored.
Arsenal Tula have not defeated Rubin Kazan in the Russian Premier League since the 2016-17 season. Since that victory, Arsenal Tula have failed to defeat Rubin Kazan in nine straight league games.
Slutsky will expect his team to gain a fifth straight win against Arsenal Tula on Friday. Rubin Kazan have a stronger squad and should claim a victory when the teams meet.
There are no new injuries to report for Arsenal Tula. Coach Dmytro Parfyonov will have a full-strength squad to select from for the fixture on Friday night at home. Meanwhile, Samoshnikov is likely to miss the match after suffering a head injury against Spartak Moscow.
Arsenal Tula struggled at home last season with just 22 points from 45 possible. They scored 18 goals and conceded 17 playing at home in 2020-21.
In contrast, Rubin Kazan were the Russian Premier League’s best away team in 2020-21. They took 31 points from 45 on offer. Slutsky’s team scored 24 times and allowed 16 goals to opponents away from home.
Rubin Kazan should enjoy more success on the road this season and a win on Friday night away will kick things off. The Stones could go top of the table with a second straight win as they defeat Arsenal Tula for a fifth straight meeting.
It should be another low-scoring game, just like Rubin Kazan’s win over Spartak Moscow. Expect under 2.5 goals as Rubin Kazan win to nil.