CSKA vs Baltika Prediction 24 July 2026
🔊 The new Premier League season kicks off at VEB Arena, where CSKA take on Baltika. Last season the two sides finished fifth and sixth respectively, with the Moscow club five points clear. That said, Baltika beat CSKA twice in the calendar year - CSKA managed just one win in return. Their summer pre-season results also favour Baltika. We'll see if Andrei Talalaev's side can keep that momentum going.
Head-to-Head
📊 The two sides have met exactly ten times in official competition. CSKA lead the all-time record by a wide margin - seven wins to three. That said, last season Baltika had the better of it, winning two of their three meetings.
Head-to-head statistics CSKA - Baltika
CSKA Moscow Team Overview
Fabio Celestini's CSKA had two completely different halves to last season. Going into the winter break, they sat fourth in the RPL and were being talked about as title contenders. The spring was a different story - they fell apart, Celestini was sacked in early May, and the club finished fifth.
Dmitry Igdisamov came in from CSKA's youth setup with two rounds left, replacing Celestini. The new man got two wins to close out the season, but pre-season was a different matter entirely. The Army Men started with two draws against First League sides, then lost four straight to top-flight opposition.
Match Results: CSKA Moscow
Baltika Kaliningrad Team Overview
Andrei Talalaev took charge of Baltika in 2024, led the club back to the top flight and finished in the top six in his first season. Could have been higher, but Kaliningrad fell apart at the end of the campaign - eight matches without a win, including four straight defeats in the RPL.
That said, Baltika came back strong in the summer. Talalaev's side won four in a row at the start of pre-season, including a 1-0 win over Premier League side Akron. They wrapped up the camp with a 1-1 draw against Krasnodar - the goal conceded from Bykov was the only one they let in all pre-season. Across five friendlies, the overall goal difference was an impressive 16-1.
Match Results: Baltika Kaliningrad
Latest news
CSKA Moscow
❌ Ahead of the new season, Dmitry Igdisamov confirmed that key goalkeeper and club legend Igor Akinfeev won't be returning to full training anytime soon. Maksim Borisko was called up from Baltika as cover, but he won't leave the Kaliningrad side until after their head-to-head with CSKA in the opening round of the season. Which is an interesting situation in itself. Another notable piece of transfer business - Danila Kozlov, signed for €1.7 million from Krasnodar.
Baltika Kaliningrad
❌ There are injury concerns around Baltika's top scorer from last season, Bryan Hil. The forward picked up a knock back in April. The Salvadoran did appear on the bench in the last pre-season match against Krasnodar, but earlier reports had him out until October. Defender Kevin Andrade has also left the club, and as we've already mentioned, Maxim Borisko's move to Moscow looks set to happen.
🟨 Yellow Cards Prediction
Hard, physical football was one of the keys to Baltika's success last season. In 9 of their last 10 league matches, four or more yellow cards were shown. And it's not just about the opponents - Andrei Talalaev's side are more than happy to put in a foul themselves. Not just the cheap kind, either - they'll deliberately target the opposition's key players. We think Baltika total yellow cards over 2.5 at 1.76* is a reasonable call. That line landed in five straight head-to-head meetings between these two.
🎯 Safe Bet
Given CSKA's messy pre-season and Baltika's near-flawless summer form, the most logical safe bet is Baltika +1.5 handicap. For one thing, the Moscow side have only beaten their upcoming opponents by more than one goal twice. For another, that line came in across all 30 of Baltika's RPL matches last season - every single one. It's currently available at 1.22*.
😱 Risky Bet
A bold but not unrealistic pick: Baltika to win 1-0. It fits their pragmatic style - Talalaev's team rarely win by more than a goal. Keeping a clean sheet at VEB Arena won't be easy, sure, but Baltika's defence was the second-best in the RPL 2025/26 season. They conceded just one goal across their summer friendlies and kept four clean sheets. If you believe in the underdog, the odds are a generous 9.4*.
🚩 Corners Prediction
Despite finishing sixth in the RPL, Baltika were the worst team in the league for average corners - just 3.47 per game across 30 rounds. And those numbers barely shifted depending on venue: 3.6 at home, 3.33 away. There's no reason to think Talalaev will change his approach now that it's been working again in pre-season. Expect the same defensive 5-4-1 or 3-4-3 with a packed midfield. That makes Baltika total corners under 4.5 at 1.66* worth a look.
⚽️ Goals Prediction
The hosts' defensive record from last season makes for interesting reading. They didn't concede in bunches - but they conceded consistently: in 19 of their last 20 matches, they let in at least one. What's more, Dmitri Igdisamov hasn't managed to tighten things up over the summer - CSKA failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their six pre-season games, including against First League opposition.
Baltika are the opposite - they scored in every game they played, including against Krasnodar. Baltika to score at 1.53* looks like the logical pick.
🚀 Player Stats Bet
In a match between two low-scoring sides, individual defensive stats are worth looking at. When it comes to defending, Baltika are the obvious starting point. Midfielder Ivan Belikov stands out - he wasn't the most carded player at the club overall, but in the spring half of the season he picked up five yellows, more than anyone else in the squad. For a bit of extra confidence, we'd suggest Belikov to receive a card at 1.88*.
👀 If the Match Goes Off-Script
Worth remembering how Baltika finished the season - part of it without Talalaev on the touchline. Without their head coach, they stopped winning, but even in bad games they kept finding ways to get back into it or at least make things uncomfortable. The numbers during that rough patch are telling: in 5 of those 8 matches, they still managed to score. So if Moscow get going and score first, there's a decent chance the visitors respond. In that case, Both Teams To Score - Yes at 1.89* is worth considering.
*Odds are approximate and may vary across different bookmakers.
⭐ Editor's Prediction
CSKA never managed to rediscover the form they showed in the first half of last season - the summer pre-season brought no wins at all. Baltika, on the other hand, got back to their best, and that showed clearly in friendlies against RPL sides.
Both clubs have problems in attack: CSKA haven't strengthened that area properly, while Kaliningrad have question marks over the fitness of last season's top scorer. A high-scoring match seems unlikely. Given all that, total goals under 2.5 looks like a reasonable bet. A narrow 1-0 win for the visitors - who had a solid pre-season - wouldn't surprise anyone.
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Betting Tips: CSKA Moscow - Baltika Kaliningrad
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