Zenit vs Krylia Sovetov on April 4: team uniforms, analytics and forecast for the 23rd round of the Russian Premier League

The RPL season has long passed the equator, and by the end of the football year, Russian teams will have to play only eight matches. Zenit and Krylia Sovetov will meet in the 23rd round, which is vital for them to score points due to the situation in the table: the St. Petersburg club is fighting for the Russian championship with Krasnodar, which is only one point behind, and the Samaritans are only trying to keep their registration in the top division. Krylia's position is particularly critical: the wards of the new coach of the team, Sergei Bulatov, are in 13th place and are in the "joints" zone.

Form of commands

Zenit has scored four wins in the last five matches, losing only to inhospitable Orenburg (2-1). The Blue-white-Blues successfully traveled to Kaliningrad, beating Baltika (0:1), sent Spartak back home with a defeat (2:0), took three points from Dynamo Moscow (1:3) and passed Dynamo Makhachkala in the Russian Cup (1:0). Thus, the Petersburgers have 48 points in reserve and occupy the second place in the RPL table — the championship race is in full swing, and Zenit should not stumble and lose points.

The situation with Krylia Sovetov is the opposite: in the last five matches, the Samaritans scored eight points out of a possible 15 and currently have 21 points in the RPL table. Dynamo Makhachkala has the same number, which is in 12th place and ahead of Samara in scoring and conceding difference. Given the recent dismissal of Magomed Adiev from the post of head coach and the vague form, it will be very difficult for the team to score the necessary points to retain its place in the RPL.

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Match scenario, game forecast

Zenit has been steadily gaining points over the past few months, winning matches against teams from the top half of the table and playing pragmatic but reliable football. Despite this, Petersburgers often created problems for themselves against the "outsiders" during the season. Zenit's main problem at the moment is the right-back position, which is currently being closed by 24-year-old Gustavo Mantuan. The Brazilian has been showing an unconvincing game throughout the season, making productive mistakes: even at the RPL Winter Cup against Krasnodar, he did not notice the connection behind the back of the extreme defender, and against CSKA he threw the opponent behind his back again. Krylia Sovetov will use this particular zone, and we will see a lot of long throws to the right flank of Zenit's defense.

However, Mantuan may not be eligible for the match at all. The head coach of the blue-white-blues, Sergei Semak, said that "the Brazilian's appearance on the field is questionable." Despite this, the match will turn out to be typical for such signage: Zenit will have the initiative, create chances and hit the target, while Krylia will lower the defensive line as much as possible, try to score a goal from a standard position or on the counterattack.

In addition to putting pressure on the right flank of the defense, the Samaritans must take into account Zenit's problems in advancing the ball. Throughout the 2025/26 season, Semak refuses to play through the center and tries to create chances with the help of flank attackers. Usually, when playing the ball from the goal, St. Petersburg players entrust the ball to midfielders Marcus Wendel and Pedro, who deliver the ball to the wingers. John John is on the "edges" on the left, Maxim Glushenkov is on the right, and, depending on the situation, they are already hitting the goal or providing Alexander Sobolev with a pass.

Speaking of the Russian forward, it is important to note the good form of Sobolev, who scored four goals and one assist in the last five matches. He often goes deep into the field to help his teammates in the draw, which sometimes affects the striker's performance. Based on this, the Samaritans must ensure high-quality pressure from Zenit's midfielders and reliably cut off the flank players from the rest of the team.

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Zenit is the clear favorite for the match. The Petersburgers are motivated to win, and the game itself will be bright and with a lot of chances and goals. The meeting will take place on April 4 at 15:15 Moscow time on the field of the Gazprom Arena stadium in St. Petersburg.

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