Ak Bars and Lokomotiv played in the first final of the Gagarin Cup, so each of their matches is special. Now they are fighting for the Latvian Cup railway. Who will win?
24 August. 17:00. Hockey. Cup of the Latvian Railway. Ak Bars - Lokomotiv. Stadium "Inbox Arena" (Pinki).
Kazan "Ak Bars" returned to the KHL Olympus after nine years of failure. Now the team of Zinetulla Bilyaletdinov is faced with the task of defending the title. Breeding work "leopards" carried out controversial. The team lost a lot in terms of image, parting with defender Vasily Tokranov. On the other hand, most of the leaders, including Emil Garipov and Justin Azevedo, were saved.
Strengthening of the "leopards" mainly touched the defensive line. Two defenders with NHL experience, Paul Postma and Andriy Pedan, joined the team. Ak Bars strengthened the attack line mainly at the expense of its own pupils, with the exception of Pavel Padakin. The forward should add speed and aggression to the attack of the Kazan club. Definitely, Kazan will have no problems with the depth of the composition.
The off-season for Ak Bars is very intense. Kazan has already played nine test matches. Barça have won four, drawn twice and lost three. It is noteworthy that the club from Tatarstan has already played twice with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. So far, the principal rivals have exchanged victories in regular time.
Lokomotiv weakened in the offseason. After an ineffective playoff, the team's management decided to part with most of the legionnaires. At the same time, the high-profile transfers of the “railwaymen” do not work yet: the future of striker David Dearne is very vague. Stepan Sannikov is also unlikely to become a striker-scorer. Apparently, Lokomotiv will rely on its own youth.
In the pre-season, Lokomotiv's problems didn't show up much. At this stage, priority is given to functional training, and not to playing the right combinations. In seven games, the “railroaders” won three victories, drew once and suffered three defeats. As for the games with Ak Bars, Loko has an advantage here. In two matches of the last regular season, Yaroslavl won with a total score of 10:3.
Suggested line-ups:
"AK Bars": Goalkeeper: Emil Garipov
Defenders: Andrey Markov, Andrey Pedan, Mikhail Sidorov, Albert Yarullin, Paul Postma, Nikita Lyamkin, Rafael Batyrshin;
Forwards: Stanislav Galiev, Artem Lukoyanov, Andrey Popov, Alexander Svitov, Vladimir Tkachev, Pavel Padakin, Anton Lander, Mikhail Glukhov, Jiri Sekach, Justin Azevedo, Alexander Burmistrov, Alexei Potapov Rob Klinkhammer;
"Locomotive": Goalkeeper: Daniil Isaev;
Defenders: Pavel Koledov, Ilya Lyubushkin, Alexander Yelesin, Rushan Rafikov, Alexander Kutuzov, Nikita Cherepanov, Ziyat Paygin;
Forwards: Egor Averin, Petri Kontiola, Denis Alekseev, Stepan Sannikov, Pavel Kudryavtsev, Artur Kayumov, Vladislav Kartaev, Daniil Yurtaikin, Andrey Loktionov, Pavel Kraskovsky, Artyom Ilyenko, Daniil Apalkov, Yegor Korshkov, Alexander Kadeikin;
Conclusion:
Ak Bars significantly outperforms Lokomotiv in terms of performance. First of all, it concerns the line of attack. "Railroad" simply lost their strike link to the majority, too carried away by the trust of young people. Of course, any results are possible within the pre-season, but we still recommend playing at the strength of the "leopards". The prediction for the match will be victory 1, estimated by BK Leon with a coefficient of 1.95.
Hockey December 08, 2017Open Game Day Friday December 8 at Continental hockey league, at 19:00 Moscow time, in Kazan on the ice "Tatneft-Arena", there will be a meeting between Ak Bars and Lokomotiv.
The experts of BC "1xStavka" bet on the hosts of the match in Kazan. The coefficient for the victory of Ak Bars is - 2.19. For a draw in regular time, the quotes are 4.14. For Lokomotiv Victoria, the coefficient is 2.98. There are teams that have scored more than 100 goals this season in the KHL. Interesting and high odds for the total of the match: TB5 - 2.73, and TM5 goals - 1.48.
For Ak Bars, the upcoming game will be the 5th home game in a row, to put it mildly, the Bars are not successful in a series of games on their ice. In 4 previous matches, the team suffered 3 defeats, losing to SKA 2:3 in overtime in the last round. The team of Zinetula Bilyaletdinov lost during the match 0:2, equalized the score, but failed to win. Despite " black stripe» in the championship, Ak Bars remains the leader of the Eastern Conference with 73 points, and the goal difference is 107-77. The Leopards' performance this season is 2.74 goals, conceding 1.9 per game. In 20 home ice games, Ak Bars scored 39 points, scoring 57 and conceding 37 goals. Kazan attack leaders are Sekach 12+19 and Tkachev 17+9.
The locomotive, unlike its rivals, has now gained an amazing pace, having won 8 victories in 9 matches. The winning streak of "railroad" is 5 fights with a total score of 21-6. If Lokomotiv won the first 4 matches in a bright scoring style, then its last match against Sochi ended only in overtime 2:1, avoiding defeat at the 57th minute of the match, and then putting the squeeze on the ice. With 72 points and a goal difference of 106-91, the Kvartalny team is in 4th place in the western standings. On average, Lokomotiv scores 2.7 goals, and the team concedes 2.3 shots per match. Away the club from Yaroslavl scored 32 points in 18 games, scoring 42 and conceding 45 goals. A trio is responsible for goals in Lokomotiv: Kronwall 7+18, Kozun 8+15 and Apalkov 12+10.
Ak Bars and Lokomotiv met 35 times in history, the minimum advantage for Kazan is 18 wins against 17 for Yaroslavl. And here is the difference of goals 81-72 in favor of Lokomotiv. The teams have already played this season, on October 13, Lokomotiv defeated Ak Bars 6:2 at home. The repetition of such a result in the next match should not be expected, the match will be equal, and not very productive, similar to the recent meeting between Bars and SKA. Bet: TM5 with a coefficient of 1.48.
The weekend will begin for hockey fans with two matches of the top teams that claim the KHL medals at once. Consider the confrontation between “Lokomotiv” and “AK Bars” – clubs going on a similar schedule. Both teams are within a couple of victories from the conference leaders and are distinguished by intermittent series of successful games. It is extremely difficult to select a favorite in advance, but FutZone experts scrupulously analyzed the fight and prepared a prediction.
"Locomotive"
Yaroslavl once again delights neutral fans with a thriller on ice, but loyal fans of the team are turning gray en masse. The duel with “Torpedo” brought two comebacks at once and a denouement in a shootout. The hosts controlled the course of the meeting for 60 minutes: the territorial and statistical advantage went through the roof. However, the guests used rare chances and took the lead 0:2. Wards of Kvartalny found the strength to bounce back and even take the lead, but six seconds before the final siren they allowed the score to be leveled.
The level of skill and quality of Lokomotiv hockey makes every opponent worry. But the problem is implementation and constant mistakes in defense. Adding composure and concentration, players from Yaroslavl are quite capable of defeating Avtomobilist, Avangard, CSKA, SKA and Jokerit. The defending champions are part of this cohort of top clubs, and will definitely approach the match with all seriousness.
"AK Bars"
The victory in the Gagarin Cup last season put a target on the back of hockey players from Kazan. Opponents are preparing and analyzing the upcoming meetings in much more detail. The outsider and the middle peasants are trying to beat the champion and give their all on the ice to the maximum. This happened on September 26, when the “leopards” disgraced themselves, losing to “Kunlun” by home arena. However, things went more successfully and the last match with the Moscow “Dynamo” brought the third victory in a row.
Hockey that Moscow evening was terribly boring and poor in events. Kazantsy threw on target 16 times in three periods. For example, “Locomotive” was marked by 15 shots for a dry starting twenty minutes. But “Ak Bars” took away important points from Moscow and approached the leaders. Even coaching staff it is clear without forecasts and analytics that such a game in Yaroslavl will not help. Need to add urgently.
Match statistics: Lokomotiv — Ak Bars
Guests celebrate triumphs more often, but if you do not take into account the “freight trains”, then the hosts will already have a significant statistical advantage.
“Locomotive” sometimes needs to stop and slow down in order to avoid ridiculous mistakes. Lack of experience and love for bright and open hockey affects. The team is progressing, especially young talents, and this is already a serious fighting unit. But “Ak Bars”, though winning, is in a lousy condition. Recent performances are simply forced to leave a forecast against Kazan. The victory of the hosts seems obvious in each of the parameters and it remains to be hoped that there will be no incidents.
Forecast - P1 including OT and shootouts behind 1,79 along the line
Rates: Napoli's individual total over 1.5 for 2.10, Napoli's victory with a handicap of "0" for 2.15 in Fonbet ().
The series of the most important battles in group C continues, and today we will witness the second series of the Italian-French confrontation. PSG did not impress at home in the first battle, but saved themselves in the end with the help of Di Maria's signature goal.
According to the game, the Neapolitans looked like a confident team, clearly fulfilling the coach's plan, but most of Tuchel's ideas simply failed. The lack of serious resistance in the domestic championship developed a sense of imposingness in the Parisians, which the guests regularly used, including pressure on the other half.
Of course, much will depend on the state of Cavani. At the time of writing the forecast, Edinson's participation remained in doubt, and in key battles, the importance of a center forward with fighting qualities and a killer instinct can hardly be overestimated. Now the French club is better prepared for the opponent and understands what to expect, but the strategic advantage is still on the side of Napoli, and the home field factor will give the hosts additional confidence.
PSG are satisfied only with a victory, but for Napoli, a peaceful outcome is not too pleasant. If Ancelotti believes in the strength of Liverpool, then the hosts will probably be happy with a draw. With this outcome, the French will retain quite significant chances of leaving the group, but the situation will become critical. A draw in the Fonbet betting company is valued at 3.65.
After four rounds, the table may take the form when Klopp's team will have 9 points, the Neapolitans with 6, and the Parisians with 5. Then the Italian club will deal with Red Star at home, and Tuchel will have to play adventurous football against best team in the world for actions in counterattacks.
Accordingly, it is necessary to achieve a positive result for PSG today. To do this, the guests, of course, will be by looking for chances in attack, leaving free zones in their own half. For Napoli, this is a great opportunity to actually qualify for the playoffs.
The Parisians conceded 3 against Liverpool, 1 against Crvena Zvezda and 2 in the first meeting against Napoli in France. Problems in the defense for such a period cannot be solved, the extreme defenders will have to climb forward. The total of the Neapolitans over 1.5 is a coefficient above two. Definitely worth considering.
BC "Fonbet" continues to consider the richer club as the favorite, putting up a line based on the stardom of individual performers, and not on the level team game. Wards of Carlo Ancelotti are at least not weaker in transitional phases and are a more manageable team. PSG have suffered a draw at home, and it will be extremely difficult to achieve something more in Italy. Handicap "0" on "Napoli" is very likely to bring either a return or a profit, and a solid odds are tempting to check.
Porto - Lokomotiv
Rates: Lokomotiv will score in 1.70, Lokomotiv will win with a +1.5 handicap for 1.80 in Fonbet ().
Bookmakers' quotes for the confrontation between Porto and Lokomotiv, frankly, are surprising. It is clear that the Portuguese club is the favorite of the group, has a more expensive and skillful line-up, and the "railroad" had a lot of problems, but Yuri Pavlovich gradually finds the right rails for his locomotive.
In the RPL, the red-greens have a series of five victories, and after losing in the third round of the Champions League, Lokomotiv shipped 10 goals over the next three matches. The opponents were not high level, however, it is extremely important for football players to feel the taste of goals scored and to establish mutual understanding in attack.
According to the score, it may seem that Porto won confidently in Moscow. But if you delve into your memory, then immediately episodes with a missed penalty, a canceled goal and some killer moments emerge in your head, when even Casillas could not save the then guests.
On the goal of the "railroad" in the bookmaker "Fonbet" they give 1.70. Perhaps we will not be wiser and take this bet. Sergio Conceição built a good defense, but nothing more. Semin will have to do without Smolov and, possibly, Farfan. However, the fans of the red-greens have much more reason for optimism, as the Miranchuk brothers have gained excellent form.
Two young talents have excellent technique, dribbling, they open up perfectly, and now they also demonstrate optimal conditions in terms of physics. The Portuguese missed in Cherkizovo, allowed Schalke to score, and Galatasaray could well score on Dragau.
Because of the red card, Kverkvelia will miss the meeting, and Chorluka is only recovering from injury and is unlikely to feel perfect. But this is the last chance for Lokomotiv to catch on at least for the Europa League, and therefore anyone who is able to be useful will definitely come out to fight for the club. The honor and prestige of the club are already at stake here, so we have the right to expect a worthy result from the “railwaymen”.
BC "Fonbet" believes in the hosts so much that the "+1.5" handicap on the red-greens is estimated at a very decent coefficient. The Semin team will definitely show character, and they definitely won’t be ashamed of it. ( .)
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