Rubin Kazan hosts Akhmat Grozny in round 1 of French Ligue 1. The match will be played on Sunday, August 8th at Ak Bars Arena (Kazan)
Rubin showed an excellent start in the Russian championship. The Red-Greens defeated Spartak at home (1-0) and then left no chances to Tula Arsenal away (0-3). Slutsky's team is the only RPL participant who did not concede goals after two rounds. On August 5, the club from Tatarstan started the European Cup campaign. In the away match of the 3rd qualifying round of the Conference League, Rubin could not beat the Polish Rakow (0-0). Kazan had the initiative, but the Poles had an almost perfect match in defense. In 90 minutes, Rakow allowed creating only one clear scoring chance, which Khvicha Kvaratskhelia did not convert.
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Akhmat Grozny is on the 11th line in the Russian championship standings (three points after two matches). Grozny footballers have a hard time in starting matches in the RPL. Akhmat started the season with a difficult away victory over Krylya Sovetov (1-2), and on August 2, the Green-Whites lost points for the first time after a home defeat to Sochi (1-2). The outcome of the match was decided by the individual skill of the leader, Christian Noboa. The Ecuadorian delivered a free-kick in the 26th minute, after which the midfielder of Akhmat Daniil Fomin turned the ball into his own net. After the break, Noboa brought Marko Dugandzic to one-on-one with an excellent pass, increasing the lead over the hosts. Grozny scored one goal in the 86th minute — Gabriel Yanku was quicker than the others after a free kick.
Akhmat cannot win in Kazan since April 2017. The streak has already counted four matches (one draw and three defeats), and it is unlikely that Grozny will be able to interrupt it next Sunday. Despite all the losses and the fight on two fronts, Rubin is stronger and more stable in comparison with Talalaev's team, and this will bring Kazan at least one point. At the same time, there is no need to expect a sparkling game from the home team. Taking into account the large number of injured players and the imminent home match against Rakow, Slutsky's coaching staff will prefer to save energy and play according to the score. The history of head-to-head matches in recent years also hints at a small number of goals.
Prediction for the match: Rubin Kazan to win with +0.5 handicap and Under 2.5 goals scored
