The first-leg match of the Regional Path semi-final in the FONBET Russian Cup 2025/26 between Zenit St. Petersburg and Dinamo Makhachkala will take place on 18 March at the Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg. Zenit St. Petersburg vs Dinamo Makhachkala: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Zenit St. Petersburg
Zenit St. Petersburg beat Baltika Kaliningrad away from home in the previous round (1:0). As a result, the side have won eight of their last nine matches in the Russian Cup, and they even scored in the one defeat during that run. They have also given very little away at the back: Sergey Semak's men have kept a clean sheet in four of their last five games in this competition. It is worth recalling that Zenit St. Petersburg last lifted the trophy in the 2023/24 season.
- The team opened the scoring in eight of their last nine matches in the national cup.
- At home in this tournament, the hosts have won nine of their last 10 games (one defeat).
- The club scored at least twice in nine of their last 10 home matches in the Russian Cup.
Potential Zenit St. Petersburg Lineup (4-5-1)*
Evgeniy Latyshonok – Nuraly Alip, Roman Vega, Nino, Vanja Drkusic – Luiz Henrique, Pedro Henrique, Andrey Mostovoy, Wilmar Barrios, Daniil Kondakov – John Duran.
Dinamo Makhachkala
Dinamo Makhachkala beat Rostov away from home 2:0 in the previous stage. The visitors have avoided defeat in regular time in seven of their last nine matches in the national cup (five wins, two draws). However, it is worth noting that the team scored more than one goal for the first time in their last five Russian Cup games. Moreover, only for the second time in their last seven matches in this tournament, the club kept a clean sheet. We should also add that reaching the Regional Path semi-finals is the team’s highest achievement.
- In seven of the previous nine matches in the national cup, Dinamo Makhachkala conceded no more than one goal.
- Away from home, the club avoided defeat after 90 minutes in seven of their last eight games in the Russian Cup (four wins, three draws).
- The team have scored in nine straight away matches in this tournament.
Potential Dinamo Makhachkala Lineup (4-5-1)*
David Volk – Mutalip Alibekov, Soslan Kagermazov, Dzhemal Tabidze, Ilyas Akhmedov – Mohammad Hosseinnezhad, Mehdi El-Mubarik, Oussem Mrezigue, Serder Serderov, Temirkan Sundukov – Hazem Mastouri.
Defender Idar Shumakhov is injured.
Referee
Pavel Kukuyan (Russia)
Matches – 9 (Russian Cup, 2023/24-2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 35;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.9;
Red cards shown – 4;
Fouls per match on average – 25;
Penalties – 22%.
Zenit St. Petersburg vs Dinamo Makhachkala: Match Prediction
The trip to St Petersburg in the first half of the 2025/26 Russian Premier League ended in a heavy defeat for the Makhachkala side (0:4). It is unlikely that Dinamo Makhachkala will manage a positive result this time either. Zenit St. Petersburg are almost flawless on home soil. Sergey Semak's men have won 12 of their last 13 home games in official competitions (one defeat). Meanwhile, the visitors’ win over Rostov in the previous round was their first in seven away matches across the Premier League and the Russian Cup (two draws, four defeats). And Rostov only managed to score after a sending-off in their own team.
However, we are unlikely to see a rout this time. The Makhachkala side rarely suffer such collapses, and since the season resumed, the team have been in excellent form. Zenit St. Petersburg, meanwhile, will have the upcoming game against Dynamo Moscow in mind and will try to get through the cup tie without overexerting themselves. That is evident from the fact that Sergey Semak's men had no trouble dealing with an in-form Spartak Moscow attack in the last league round. Vadim Evseev's side are inferior to the Moscow club in terms of creativity, so it should be even easier for the hosts.
Prediction: Zenit St. Petersburg to win + Under 3.5 goals
* For each team, the starting line-up from their last match in this tournament is shown.
