Spartak Moscow come into this cup tie as the defending champions and they mean business this time around after edging Krasnodar in the super final shootout some months back. The win gave them extra belief and now with the league season kicking off on a high note after a strong 3-0 home win over newcomers Rodina the team looks sharper every week under their coach. Orenburg also did well to hold their top flight spot last spring without any playoff drama but their resources remain limited compared to the big boys.
Team Form
The Muscovites are building nicely with each outing and their home record against Orenburg speaks volumes as they have dropped points just once in the last eight meetings. Orenburg have pulled off a few surprises on their own artificial pitch but on the road they have struggled badly with seven losses from eight visits to Moscow and they have never kept a clean sheet in those games.
- Spartak netted three without reply in their opening league game
- Orenburg avoided relegation playoffs last season with tight results
- Spartak have maximum motivation after a recent super cup loss to Zenit
Tactical Analysis
Even with some squad rotation expected Spartak still hold the edge in quality and they rarely slip up at home against sides like Orenburg. The visitors will try to spring a surprise with quick counters but their defence has looked leaky away from home and they may find it hard to contain the hosts attacking flow for ninety minutes. Strengths for Spartak include better depth and set piece threat while Orenburg rely on organisation and hope for an early goal to frustrate the favourites.
Betting Proposal
With cup ambitions high for the hosts and their strong home record this looks like a game where Spartak will go for the win in style. The lads should have enough to break down the visitors and run out comfortable winners. Spartak to win by two goals or more with the handicap at 1.85 looks the smart type here.
