- Rodina position: Rodina Moscow are 15th in the Premier League 2026/2027, having picked up 0 points in 2 games.
- Akron position: Akron Tolyatti are 16th, also with 0 points from 2 games.
- Recent form: Rodina have won 1, drawn 1 and lost 3 of their last 5 games.
Rodina to get their first points at home
Season start
Rodina Moscow will be looking to get their Premier League 2026/2027 off the ground with a home victory over Akron Tolyatti at the Rodina Stadium, Russia, on Saturday. Rodina have had a pretty poor start to the season and are 15th in the table, 0 points from 2 matches.
- Their most recent 3 games have been a 3-0 away defeat to Spartak Moscow in the Premier League 2026/2027, a 2-4 defeat at home to Rostov in the Premier League 2026/2027, and a 5-0 victory against Rubin Kazan in the Cup.
Akron's recent form
Akron have also started poorly, and are just 1 place behind Rodina at the bottom of the table on 0 points.
- Akron have lost 3 in a row, with their previous 3 games a 0-5 defeat to Zenit in the Premier League 2026/2027, a 1-2 loss to Rubin Kazan in the Premier League 2026/2027, and a 0-4 cup defeat at the hands of Rostov.
Tactics
Rodina's Spanish coach Juan Diaz is using a 4-3-3 formation, playing a possession-based game with a Spanish flavor, and proactively pressing the opposition to try and win the ball back high up the field. Akron's Srđan Blagojević has set his team up in a more pragmatic 4-2-3-1 formation, looking to be compact in defense and look to break at speed when the ball is won back.
This contrast in formation should make for an interesting game, as Rodina look to crowd the midfield and overwhelm the opposition in the middle of the park, while Akron will try to lock down the middle and counter into space.
Home and away
Rodina have only played 1 home game so far in the Premier League 2026/2027, drawing 0 and losing 1, conceding 4 goals in that match. Akron have drawn 0, lost 1 and won 0 of their 1 away game in the Premier League 2026/2027.
Prediction and odds
Akron's form has been poor of late, but their advantage in the head-to-head makes them the more likely of the two sides to nick this one. Rodina have conceded 7 goals in their 3 most recent matches and look vulnerable at the back, while Akron have shown promise going forward in their 3 most recent defeats. The odds make this game look very tight, with Rodina 2.47, Akron 2.74 and the draw at 3.68, so the value must lie with the visitors to at least avoid defeat on Saturday.
A few goals are likely, given Rodina's defensive frailties and Akron's more counter-attacking focus, so Over 2.5 goals at 1.82 and Both Teams to Score — Yes at 1.59 look good to me.
Players to watch
- Rodina's main attacking threat has been Iker Pozo, who has scored 1 goal in 2 Premier League 2026/2027 games, while the best of Akron is playmaker Konstantin Maradishvili, who has assisted once in 2 Premier League 2026/2027 matches.
- Arseniy Dmitriev, with 1 goal in 2 Premier League 2026/2027 outings, is Akron's main goal threat.
Head-to-head
Rodina have won 0 and lost 1 of their home games, while Akron have lost 1 of their away games. In the 4 previous meetings, Akron have won 3 and drawn 1 of the 4 matches, while Rodina have lost both of the most recent 2 head-to-head games at the Rodina Moscow.
