Spartak (Home)
- Carcedo’s men are more likely to be involved in a close game as they have been playing at a high tempo recently, winning 4-3 at home to Akron and 3-2 at Sochi before the 5-2 Cup defeat.
- Christopher Martins is a good organiser of the defence, but Carcedo’s side have been frail at the back and without the injured Babic and Samoshnikov for this game.
- Litvinov’s suspension is another blow to a rearguard that has shipped eight in the last three in all competitions.
Dinamo (Away)
- Dinamo Moscow are in complete control of their FONBET Russian Cup semi-final clash with city rivals Spartak after hammering the hosts 5-2 in last week’s first leg.
- Dinamo have been in fine form since Rolan Gusev was put in permanent charge in February, thrashing Spartak and CSKA in quick succession.
- The visitors took apart Spartak in the Cup by sitting deep and hitting Spartak on the counter attack when they tried to play their usual pressing-possession game.
- The 5 - 2 first-leg lead gives them license to be pragmatic and compact, but also the chance to pounce on the home side should they leave the flanks exposed.
Head-to-Head
This is Russia’s oldest and most storied derby, and it is set to be a cracker with city bragging rights also at stake.
Key Players
- David Ricardo hit the ground running on his debut, scoring the opening goal, while Mumi Ngamaleu’s pace and power are a threat, as shown by his first-leg brace.
- Ivan Sergeyev provides the hold-up play that this side needs to get the best out of Ngamaleu and Maksim Osipenko, who adds a threat from set-pieces.
- Spartak do have a goal machine in Pablo Solari, who has been consistently involved in league goals, but Dinamo have enough firepower to keep him at bay in this second leg.
Betting Insights
- Spartak are the favourites at 1.92 to win on the night, but given the aggregate lead and their respective forms, Dinamo have to be rated as strong favourites to make it into the Cup final.
- The BTTS & over 2.5 goals market is the bet to take here as this should be an open contest with Dinamo looking to punish Spartak on the attack while the home team desperately try to turn the tie around.
Prediction
- With a 5-2 first-leg advantage, Dinamo are likely to approach the second leg pragmatically and are favourites to reach the final.
- Expect an open game and backing BTTS & over 2.5 goals looks sensible given both teams’ recent high-scoring matches.
