Amkar vs Rubin Match preview

Russia - Premier League: Amkar vs Rubin

Derby of the round will take place in Perm. Amkar are hosting the league leader and if they win this match they will get back in the title race. The first sentence tells you how unpredictable Russian football is. Actually no one expected Rubin and Amkar to be at the top. Tatars were considered favourites from the shadow but it was hard to even imagine them to lead the title race during the whole season. A similar thing goes for Amkar, a small club from Perm that leapt through the leagues over the last ten years. On several occasions this season they were in the situation to leapfrog Rubin, but they failed to win certain matches at home so negative run followed. As we supposed the run was ended in Moscow, and now Perm side hold on to the third place, with only seven points behind Sunday’s rivals but even UEFA Cup will be a huge success for them. This, of course, doesn’t mean that they don’t have ambitions in this duel.

Negative series ended against FC Moscow

Many of you were skeptical last week when we suggested betting on Amkar against the Citizens. The team have gone six matches without a victory, to score a goal was slowly turning into an illusion but you can say it all for Amkar except that their results are a coincidence. The club from Perm have the best defence in the league which is a prerequisite for success; once they score it is usually certain that the result will be positive. They scored a stoppage-time goal in Moscow, but it would have been unfair if they won. Actually they outplayed the rivals, missed a lot of chances and Sikimic’s strike was a logical epilogue. The problems are the same, how to score, but Amkar are always capable of lifting the play to a higher level against stronger teams. Let us remember the duel against CSKA a month ago in Perm when they knocked Akinfeev down three times.

Rubin started a winning series

Khimki were broken easier than expected, Tatars missed a lot, Berezovski produced impossible saves… But 20 minutes before time Rubin crushed rivals' resistance and continued their quest for the title. They increased their lead over Dinamo on four points. After this round they will have a break because of international duties, right after that Dinamo arrive to Kazan; Russian media already see that game as a match point for the leader. But they must live through Perm first. It is not an easy ground, Amkar have lost many points against weaker teams but that happened mostly because they don't have the solution for catenaccio. Rubin are the best visitors in the Russian Premier League; they won even six games away so they certainly have more self-confidence no matter who their rivals are.

Betting Verdict

This is a completely open match, if Rubin play like in the previous rounds they can hope for a good result, still Amkar should never be underestimated; a win in Moscow boosted their morale so they can be patient and coach Bozovic certainly won’t rush things. He knows very well the offensive capability of Sunday rivals. The side that scores first will probably be the one to celebrate. We will try with the small number of goals; this will be a tense match where the possibility of mistakes will be minimal. This looks like a goalless draw, both sides might settle for shared points.

Our tip: Bet 7 on Draw
Odds 2.8 at
Bookmaker: Gamebookers