Match Overview

The rescheduled 14th-round match of the PARI First League (FNL) between Ural and Chelyabinsk is set to take place on November 5 at Ekaterinburg Arena. This encounter promises to be a compelling battle, featuring two teams with distinct ambitions in the league.

Ural Team Analysis

In their most recent fixture, Ural secured a decisive 2-0 home victory against Sokol, marking their third consecutive win in the championship. This impressive run highlights the Ekaterinburg side’s consistent scoring prowess, as they have found the back of the net in their last five tournament outings. Miroslav Romashchenko’s squad ranks second in total goals scored with 26, trailing only KAMAZ (28). Furthermore, Ural also holds the second position for average corners taken, with 6.7 per game. Currently, the club proudly occupies the top spot in the overall league standings.

• Ural has demonstrated strong defensive stability, conceding no more than one goal in 11 of their last 14 FNL matches.
• At home, the team has been particularly formidable, remaining unbeaten in 9 of their last 10 matches in this competition (7 wins, 2 draws).
• The Ekaterinburg team has a knack for taking an early lead, opening the scoring in 9 of their previous 11 home championship games.

Ural’s Predicted Lineup (4-5-1)

Aleksandr Selikhov – Matvey Bardachev, Vladislav Malkevich, Gonçalo Miguel, Silvie Begič – Yuri Zheleznov, Ilya Ishkov, Timur Ayupov, Evgeny Kharin, Fanil Sungatulin – Martin Sekulić.

Chelyabinsk Team Analysis

Chelyabinsk recently suffered a 0-1 defeat away to Shinnik in Yaroslavl, which brought an end to their impressive 10-match unbeaten streak in the championship (3 wins, 7 draws). Throughout this strong period, the team’s defense was particularly resilient, conceding more than one goal only once. However, Roman Pilipchuk’s squad has shown some recent struggles in front of goal, failing to score in 4 of their last 5 FNL matches. Chelyabinsk currently sits in 7th place in the league table.

• Low-scoring affairs have been common for Chelyabinsk, with no more than two goals scored in 8 of their last 10 FNL games.
• The team’s away form has been less stellar, as they have been unable to secure a victory in their last 7 road matches in the First League (4 draws, 3 losses).
• Despite their struggles to win away, Chelyabinsk’s defense remains solid on the road, having conceded no more than one goal in their last 5 away fixtures in this tournament.

Chelyabinsk’s Predicted Lineup (3-4-3)

Ilya Tuseev – Aleksandr Gapechkin, Aleksandr Zhirov, Khetag Kochiev – Bulat Gatin, Denis Samoylov, Konstantin Kertanov, Yan Gudkov – Matvey Urvantsev, Garrik Levin, Ramazan Gadzhimuradov.

Match Prediction and Analysis

In the previous round, Ural managed to break a three-match winless streak at home in the championship. While one of the league’s outsiders did pose some challenges for Miroslav Romashchenko’s team, the upcoming opponent is expected to be more demanding. Chelyabinsk finds itself not far from the promotion playoff zone, and they could have been higher in the standings, but they have only secured one victory in their last six FNL matches. Nevertheless, their recent defeat in Yaroslavl was their first since late August, indicating that Chelyabinsk’s overall results have been quite respectable.

However, Chelyabinsk continues to grapple with issues in the attacking third. The club has failed to score in four of their last five First League matches, even against teams like Yenisey and Ufa, who are known to allow more scoring opportunities. It’s also worth noting that three of these recent struggles occurred in away fixtures. Therefore, penetrating the defense of the Ekaterinburg team, who have conceded no more than one goal in six of their previous seven home FNL encounters, will prove to be a significant challenge. Concurrently, Roman Pilipchuk’s men boast the third most reliable defense in the league, suggesting that Ural will also need to exert considerable effort to find the net.

Considering these factors, my prediction for this match is: Ural will not lose, and the total number of goals will be under 2.5.

Author: Alexey Tarabrin