Rostov vs Lokomotiv Moscow Odds & Pick: Top 4 Clash In Russian Premier League Matchday 22
- Eight fixtures on Matchday 22 as Russian Premier League beats shutdown
- Rostov unbeaten in four games before and after winter break
- See all odds and best bets for RPL Matchday 22 Rostov vs Lokomotiv Moscow
Russia’s Premier League is continuing for now while most of European football is in Coronavirus lockdown, with an important clash of the high-flyers Rostov and Lokomotiv Moscow on Sunday (March 15, Rostov Arena, 12pm EST).
Rostov are in third place two weeks after the resumption of the competition following its long winter break while Lokomotiv are fourth.
The analysts make Rostov favorites for a win at +134 with the Moscow side at +205. The draw is +210.
Rostov vs Lokomotiv Moscow Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rostov | pk, -½ (+101) | (+134) | Ov2, 2½ (+105) |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | pk, +½ (-121) | +205 | Un2, 2½ (-125) |
| Draw | N/A | (+210) | N/A |
*Odds taken March 14
The game is critical because, as things currently stand, Rostov would secure Champions League qualification for next season while Lokomotiv would enter the Europa League.
It is finely balanced because the two teams have identical records of 11 wins, five draws and five defeats each after 21 rounds of the competition – giving each 38 points.
Impressive Home Form
Given those statistics, the draw looks good value at +210. Alternatively, Rostov’s good home form makes their price for a win interesting at +134.
They are the league’s leading scorers with 38 goals so a spread price of +101 for Rostov to win by one goal or more also looks intriguing.
Rostov is in third position because of a better goal difference of +7 against Lokomotiv’s +5.
They also have identical records of a win and a draw each in the two fixtures since the end of the winter shutdown.
Rostov secured a 3-2 home win against CSKA Moscow in most recent fixture at their home in the west of Russia.
In their first resumption match, Rostov tied 1-1 at Akhmat Grozny in Chechnya.
Rostov then secured a 3-2 home win against CSKA Moscow in their most recent fixture at their home in the west of Russia.
Lokomotiv drew 0-0 away against reigning champions Zenit St. Petersburg before a 1-0 home defeat of Akhmat Grozny.
Midfielder's battle of #RostovLokomotiv match 👇
Who is going to score or make assist?#RPL pic.twitter.com/7bu6D6pvuc
— Russian Premier Liga (@premierliga_en) March 14, 2020
Rostov have the third best home record in the competition with seven wins, two draws and only one defeat at their own HQ.
However, Lokomotiv have been impressive on the road with six wins, three draws and two defeats – giving them the second best away record in the league.
League’s Joint-Leading Goalscorer
The standout player for Rostov is 6-foot-3 Uzbekistan international striker Eldor Shomurudov, whose 11 premier league goals is tied for the league lead with Artem Dzyuba of Zenit. St Petersburg.
His most recent goal came in the 1-1 draw with Akhmat Grozny on February 29.
In the subsequent defeat of CSKA Moscow, Rostov’s goals came from Roman Emerenko, Ivelin Popov and Pavel Mamaev.
According to Sport24, the majority of RPL clubs spport the idea of postponing the league due to coronavirus.
A decision will be made on Tuesday after this weekend's round of matches has been played. https://t.co/bL9kn5mxDt
— Russian Football News (@RusFootballNews) March 14, 2020
Russian-born Finnish international Emerenko and teammate Aleksei Ianov are second on the team in scoring with five goals each.
Lokomotiv’s winner against Akhmat Grozny in their most recent fixture was scored by the Portuguese international Eder, who has five goals this season. Their leading goal-scorer is Polish international midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak who has hit the net eight times.
Rostov vs Lokomotiv Moscow Statistics
| 11 | Wins | 11 |
| 5 | Losses | 5 |
| 5 | Draws | 5 |
| 38 | Goals | 29 |
| 31 | Goals Against | 24 |
| 4 | Clean Sheets | 6 |
| 52 | Yellow Cards | 58 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 2 |
Rostov are now unbeaten in four Premier League matches since a 2-1 defeat by Dynamo Moscow on November 29.
In the two games prior to the winter shutdown, they drew 0-0 with Ural Yekaterinburg and then, in their most recent trip to the capital, scored a thumping 4-0 victory away at Spartak Moscow.
Slump Before Winter Break
Lokomotiv’s form before the break was in direct contrast to Rostov. They lost 2-1 away in the derby at Dynamo Moscow and then suffered a 4-0 thrashing away at Arsenal Tula.
Maintaining that focus ahead of #RostovLoko 👊 pic.twitter.com/M2xGkfS1O9
— FC Lokomotiv Moscow (@fclokomotiv_eng) March 13, 2020
They finished second in the Premier League last season but finished bottom of their group in the Champions League last Autumn behind Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen.
After winning the opening fixture 2-1 away at Leverkusen, they lost all five of the following matches in the competition.
Rostov finished in ninth place last season and have not been involved in European competition.
Pick: Rostov (+134)
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
