The matchday 19 fixture in the 2025/26 Russian Premier League between Zenit St. Petersburg and Baltika Kaliningrad will take place on 27 February at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg. Zenit St. Petersburg vs Baltika Kaliningrad: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Zenit St. Petersburg
For the third season in a row, Zenit St. Petersburg go into the winter break in second place in the standings, with the gap to leaders Krasnodar just one point. Sergei Semak’s side have suffered only one defeat (11 wins, 6 draws), and head into this match on a 14-game unbeaten run in the league. The club are also among the top three for goals scored (34) and goals conceded (12). In addition, they are the most disciplined side, averaging 1.4 yellow cards per match. From the team’s results in pre-season, it is worth noting their last-place finish in the Winline Winter Cup.
- Zenit St. Petersburg have scored at least twice in 5 of their previous 7 Russian Premier League games.
- At home in this competition, the club are on a seven-match winning run.
- In 14 of their last 15 home Premier League matches, Zenit St. Petersburg have not conceded more than once.
Potential Zenit St. Petersburg Lineup (4-5-1)
Denis Adamov – Igor Diveev, Douglas Santos, Nino, Gustavo Mantuan – John John, Pedro, Maksim Glushenkov, Wendel, Wilmar Barrios – Luis Enrique.
Defender Vyacheslav Karavaev has recovered from injury.
Baltika Kaliningrad
Baltika Kaliningrad were one of the surprises of the first half of the season. The former second-tier side went into the winter break sitting fifth in the standings, with a four-point gap to their nearest rival. Andrey Talalaev’s men have also suffered just one defeat (9 wins, 8 draws). While Baltika Kaliningrad look fairly modest in terms of goals scored (24), their defence is the best in the league: just 12 goals conceded and the same number of clean sheets. However, it is worth noting that the club do not always keep opponents away from their goal by purely legal means, leading the competition for average fouls per match (20).
- No more than two goals have been scored in Baltika Kaliningrad’s last six Russian Premier League matches.
- Away from home in the current league campaign, Baltika Kaliningrad have avoided defeat in 8 of 9 matches (4 wins, 4 draws).
- The team have not conceded more than once in 15 straight Premier League games.
Potential Baltika Kaliningrad Lineup (4-5-1)
Maksim Borisko – Sergey Varatynov, Kevin Andrade, Nathan Gassama, Mikhail Ryadno – Mingiyan Beveev, Maksim Petrov, Ilya Petrov, Andrey Mendel, Nikolay Titkov – Brian Gil.
Referee
Aleksey Sukhoy (Russia)
Matches – 8 (Russian Premier League, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 41;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.1;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 31;
Penalties – 50%.
Zenit St. Petersburg vs Baltika Kaliningrad: Match Prediction
Zenit St. Petersburg, as usual in the winter break, made plenty of noise in the transfer market. However, the new signings brought in to strengthen the attacking line have not yet fully settled in. As a result, it is unlikely the home team will be able to surprise the visitors with anything. Moreover, although friendly matches are not the clearest indicator, there are still questions about the hosts based on those results. Baltika Kaliningrad, meanwhile, have maintained their resilience, losing just one of eight friendlies.
Zenit St. Petersburg have won 6 of their last 7 Premier League matches, but the only truly serious opponent they faced in that run was Lokomotiv Moscow. They managed to beat the Moscow side 2:0, scoring the second goal moments before the final whistle. In the reverse fixture, Sergei Semak’s men were unable to find the net against Baltika Kaliningrad. What is more, by xG that match was one of Zenit St. Petersburg’s four worst performances of the current league season.
Andrey Talalaev’s side are on an eight-match unbeaten run in the Premier League (5 wins, 3 draws), and the team’s only defeat in the competition came by the narrowest of margins. The visitors can take points, but we suggest playing it safe and backing Baltika Kaliningrad (+1.5).
Prediction: Baltika Kaliningrad (+1.5)
