Match Overview

Rotor Team Analysis

The Volgograd team secured a dominant 3-0 home victory against Torpedo in their last outing, extending their unbeaten run in the league to four matches (comprising 2 wins and 2 draws). Notably, during this impressive period, the team has conceded just a single goal. With three clean sheets, Rotor’s defensive record is surpassed only by Fakel (with five). Furthermore, in the match against the Moscow side, the Volzhane, despite being one of the league’s most disciplined teams, received only one yellow card. These consistent results have seen Denis Boyarintsev’s squad climb to 6th position in the league standings.

Rotor’s Key Statistics

• Fewer than three goals were scored in 6 of Rotor’s last 8 matches in the First League.
• Playing at home, the team has remained undefeated in 5 of their last 6 FNL fixtures (4 wins, 1 draw).
• The Volzhane have kept a clean sheet in 4 of their last 5 home championship games.

Rotor’s Predicted Lineup (4-5-1)

Nikita Chagrov – Denis Fomin, Vyacheslav Bardybakhin, Gleb Shilnikov, Nikolay Pokidyshev – Sergey Makarov, Ilya Safronov, Artyom Simonyan, Mikhail Maltsev, Dmitry Sasin – Nikita Nikiforov.

Spartak Kostroma Team Analysis

Spartak Kostroma’s 2-1 victory over SKA-Khabarovsk in the previous round marked their fourth win in five recent championship matches (with one draw). These strong performances have enabled Yevgeny Taranukhin’s team to consolidate their position within the playoff zone, trailing league leaders Fakel by five points. However, Spartak ranks second-to-last in terms of average corners awarded per game (3.2). It’s also worth noting that the club has conceded goals in 5 out of their 6 FNL-2025/26 encounters.

Spartak Kostroma’s Key Statistics

• Spartak Kostroma has maintained a consistent scoring run in the FNL for five consecutive matches.
• The team is currently on an unbeaten streak of 9 away matches across both the First and Second Leagues (7 wins, 2 draws).
• In their last 9 away fixtures in these tournaments, Spartak has not conceded more than one goal per game.

Spartak Kostroma’s Predicted Lineup (4-5-1)

Nikita Korets – Nikita Supranovich, Denis Zhilmostnykh, Maksim Ignatiev, Nikolay Tarasov – Aleksandr Saplinov, Dmitry Sadov, Yegor Nazarenko, Ivan Enin, Kirill Chursin – Artur Garibyan.

Match Official Profile

Referee: Roman Safyan (Russia)

Roman Safyan’s Refereeing Statistics

Matches officiated – 13 (First League, 2022/23 – 2025/26);

Yellow cards issued (including second yellows) – 61;

Average yellow cards per match – 4.7;

Red cards issued – 3;

Average fouls per match – 20;

Penalties awarded – 8%.

Rotor vs Spartak Kostroma Match Prediction

Rotor finally found their goal-scoring stride in the previous round, though some luck was involved; three of their four shots on target found the back of the net. Prior to the Torpedo match, Rotor had only scored 4 goals in the current championship campaign. High-scoring affairs are generally not characteristic of the Volgograd club: they have not scored more than one goal in 13 of their last 16 home matches in the FNL. Nevertheless, Rotor has managed to secure points in 13 of those encounters (6 wins, 7 draws).

Spartak Kostroma also clinched their third away victory in FNL-2025/26. Despite this, I still believe the team has benefited from some favorable circumstances so far, facing two opponents in declining form and a Khabarovsk team that delivered one of its weakest performances this season. However, Spartak’s ability to limit opponents’ chances should not be overlooked. Yevgeny Taranukhin’s side is typically known for its solid defensive organization, having not allowed any opponent to score more than one goal in the current championship.

Given these insights, I anticipate a hard-fought and low-scoring match, with the home side having a slightly better chance of earning points. My prediction is: “Rotor to win or draw and Total Under 2.5 goals” with odds of 1.80.