FC Sochi — Zenit Saint Petersburg : Match Preview and Prediction for October 19,2025

Sochi’s Recent Form and Struggles

A slight upturn in spirits has occurred within the Sochi camp, after all, their first victory of the season finally took place in the last round of the championship. At home, the southerners defeated another outsider, Pari NN, 2-1, thanks to goals from Ilyin and Saavedra. Notably, the Chilean scored the winning goal after missing a penalty but confidently converting the rebound.

Facing a Title Contender

However, Sochi has not escaped last place, nor has it shed its unfortunate status as the team with the most conceded goals in the championship (25 goals in 11 matches for the hosts). Ahead of them lies Zenit, a club dreaming of a title in their ‘centennial’ 100th year. For the match against Zenit at Fisht Stadium, Sochi will be without Meleshin. The former Spartak forward has been long injured due to a knee issue.

Zenit’s Frustrating Draw

Zenit headed into the international break in a less than cheerful mood, as few anticipated Semak’s squad to drop points against Akron in Samara. Yet, they did (1-1), playing convincing football for only the initial 20 minutes. After that, it was as if someone hit the “Stop” button on their team’s tactics, and the St. Petersburg side began to play defensively, ultimately paying the price. Dzyuba could have completely buried his former club in injury time but failed to convert a penalty, which would have been an even bigger blow for the vice-champions.

Squad Depth vs. Consistent Play

Despite a formidable squad replete with star names, Semak hasn’t forged a consistently strong team performance. However, individual brilliance from players and occasional collective flashes of synergy allow them to currently hold a top-4 position, just four points adrift of the league leader. For the match against Sochi, Zenit will be without Gerson and Moskvichev.