FK Lokomotiv Moscow

vs

FK Zenit St. Petersburg

Tips, Stats and Odds

Lokomotiv Moscow’s 1-0 win at Gazovik Orenburg was followed up by a 1-1 draw at home to FC Dynamo Makhachkala, and a 2-1 defeat away at FK Spartak Moscow in a close match where the home side did the majority of the chasing.

Mikhail Galaktionov has overseen an impressive transformation in the club since his arrival in November 2022, with Lokomotiv now a high-tempo, transition-based side that can change formations fluidly to exploit weaknesses and create overloading situations out wide. His talisman is none other than Aleksey Batrakov, the club’s current top scorer with 13 goals in 24 Premier League 2025/2026 matches. The attacking midfielder has also registered three assists in Lokomotiv’s last five games, while Cesar Montes has also chipped in with three in the same run.

Lokomotiv currently sit in third place in the Premier League 2025/2026 table with 48 points from 25 games, four less than Zenit in second place, so this is a crucial match for both sides at opposite ends of the title and European race. Galaktionov’s men have been in mixed form, however, winning two, drawing one and losing two of their last five, although they have won one and drawn one of their two home games in that time.

Zenit, on the other hand, come into this game in much better form than Lokomotiv, winning three, drawing one and defeating one of their last five in all competitions. They drew 1-1 at home with FK Krasnodar in the league and lost to Spartak Moscow in the Cup after a penalty shootout following a 0-0 draw.

Zenit are a more steady outfit than Lokomotiv, with a much more possession-first approach, but they have also shown themselves to be able to keep things tight and play with a bit more discipline and patience than their opponents, with wide full-backs and plenty of build-up to control the game and find gaps.

This fixture has been a little one-sided in recent years, with Zenit taking one win and two draws from the last three meetings and Zenit have failed to win on their last two visits to Lokomotiv Moscow. Zenit have won their last away game in the league, however, and come up against a much improved Lokomotiv that will be full of confidence after their unbeaten home run in the Premier League 2025/2026.

Sergey Semak, who has been in charge at Zenit since May 2018, has a strong record in the Russian Premier League and his consistent focus on in-game management, as well as the build-up phase, has kept his side at the top end of the table every season. He has 52 points from 24 Premier League 2025/2026 games and his side’s average of 1.55 goals per game away is a solid statistic, having scored 17 goals on the road.

Lokomotiv Moscow score 2.33 goals per home game in the Premier League 2025/2026, hitting 28 on their own turf, so we’re going with 3.7 for a home win and Over 2.5 goals at 1.97, with Both Teams to Score - Yes at 1.76 as well.