Russia hosts Slovakia in round 7 of the World Cup qualification. The match will be played on Friday, October 8th at Ak Bars Arena (Kazan)
The Russian national team is on the 2nd line in the standings (13 points after six games). The Russians chalked up four wins, one draw, and one defeat. After the failure at Euro 2020, where Russia did not qualify from the group, the head coach of the team Stanislav Cherchesov left his post. He was replaced by the ex-coach of Rostov Valeri Karpin, with whom the Russians played three matches of the 2022 World Cup qualification in September. And Russia has not suffered a single defeat under the new coach. In his debut game, the team tied against Croatia at home (0-0), and then the Russians gained two confident victories over the group's outsiders, Cyprus (0-2) and Malta (2-0). The Russians did not shine with high production (four goals in three games), but all of them ended with clean sheets.
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Slovakia is in 3rd place in the qualifying group (nine points after six rounds). The Falcons gained two victories and three draws and suffered one defeat. Slovakia is unstable in the current qualification. In March, the team lost points in matches against Cyprus (0-0) and Malta (2-2) but won a victory over Russia (2-1). In the September games, Tarkovic's team continued to lose points. The Slovaks tied against Slovenia (1-1) and missed a draw in the home game with Croatia (0-1). Only in the last home match against Cyprus, the Falcons earned three points thanks to goals from Ivan Schranz and Martin Koscelnik after the break.
The victory over Slovakia practically guarantees Karpin's team a ticket to the playoffs. But it will be difficult to achieve this result due to serious problems with the roster. On the other hand, the tournament situation will force the Slovaks to play to win. Even a draw will minimize the chances of the Falcons in the fight for the first two places. This circumstance can play in favor of the Russians, who can punish the visitors in counterattacks. Both teams cannot boast of high production. In six rounds of this qualification, the Russians scored 10 goals, and the Slovaks delivered only seven accurate shots. Taking into account the history of head-to-head confrontations, it is logical to assume that the spectators in Kazan will see a closed game with a minimum of scoring chances.
Prediction for the match: Under 2.0 goals scored
