- Head-to-head: Ural beat Chelyabinsk 1-0 at home in the previous FNL 2025/2026 head-to-head meeting five months ago.
- Away form: Ural have won seven, drawn three, and lost five of 15 away matches in the FNL 2025/2026.
- Recent form: Chelyabinsk have failed to win in their last five matches (D2, L3).
Promotion-chasing pair face off in FNL 2025/2026
Match context
FC Ural Yekaterinburg and FC Chelyabinsk are both in fine form going into this Sunday’s clash of two teams in the top half of the FNL 2025/2026 table, but there will be no mercy from 3rd-placed Ural against a 10th-placed Chelyabinsk side.
The two teams have accumulated 52 and 39 points respectively, and we expect the difference in their positions to be reflected in the scoreboard at full-time.
Chelyabinsk's recent slump
It has been a tough couple of weeks for Chelyabinsk, who could not get beyond a 1-1 draw at home to lowly Chernomorets Novorossiysk two weeks ago before being thrashed 3-0 by fellow strugglers Yenisey Krasnoyarsk five days later.
Ural's form and threats
Ural boss Vasili Berezutski took charge at the end of December 2025 and has since been very effective in building on the team’s existing discipline and control-first philosophy.
- Ural’s recent results have been mixed, but their last three performances are encouraging with two wins and a draw.
- Berezutski’s side have been very impressive in attacking areas of late, thrashing Chayka 5-0 at home and beating Sokol Saratov 3-0 away in their two most recent matches.
- Martin Sekulic leads the line with 6 goals in 27 league matches and is a frequent starting point for the team's attacks, which have been highly coordinated and effective in recent weeks.
Hosts are fast and potent from set-pieces
Roman Pilipchuk took charge of Chelyabinsk in April 2024 and has brought a more structured and much more progressive style to the squad since then.
They play with tempo on the transition, but their flexibility in terms of defensive shape and set-piece threat make them a tricky nut for any team to crack.
Ramazan Gadzhimuradov is Chelyabinsk’s greatest threat with nine FNL goals this season, but the hosts have failed to win either of their previous two home games, so we are going with Ural to edge a close game.
At 2.32, the visitors are a slight favorite for this game with the draw available at 3.1 and Chelyabinsk at 3.4. Under 2.5 goals is the pick in the alternatives market at 1.62.
