Baltic — Akron: preview
We discuss predictions for the Baltic and Akron match in the 13th round of the 2026/27 Russian league.
"Baltic" has not won in the league for a while, but their performance cannot be considered disappointing. "Akron" has come out of the crisis in the league, but arrives at the game after a fall in the Cup.
Key points
Baltic
1. No wins, but the team does not crumble The Kaliningrad team occupies ninth place in the league, a drop from last season when the team fought for the top half of the table for the medalists. However, the drop was expected due to the loss of leaders Maxim Borisko and Kevin Andrade. Brian Hill stopped scoring much, several creative players are in crisis, the newcomers did not integrate immediately, so the place relatively far from the relegation zone seems a good achievement in these conditions for Andrey Talalyev. In the last round, the Baltics survived in extra time in Krasnodar (1:1), and then lost 2:3 in the fifth of the last six home games against "Zenit". They have not won in the league since August, when the team crushed "Rodina" (3:0).
2. Almost the entire squad rested in the cup match, no new injuries or suspensions Among the key players in the cup match, only Sergey Varyatinov participated. Nathan Gassama, who did not play in the last round, may return to the squad – the youth did not finish the game with "Zenit" until the end, to be fresh for the league match. In the lineup, Mingiann Bebeev, who was suspended in the Cup, Eldar Chivich, Ilya and Maxim Petrov, Brian Hill will return. The Baltics by tradition will not bet on ball dominance, focusing on quick counter‑attacks. For "Akron", which bets on control, this style is uncomfortable.
3. "Baltic" has a great advantage in head‑to‑head against "Akron", but last season had one of the worst matches against them The last years have been successful for both the Kaliningrad and the Tolyatti teams. "Baltic" returned to the elite after a long time, could not stay there, but with the arrival of Andrey Talalyev it became a solid centre. "Akron" is ambitious and reached the Premier League in a short time. "Baltic" has a great advantage in direct encounters – won nine of thirteen matches. However, "Akron" managed to beat Kaliningrad at the end of last season, and that game was one of the worst for the Baltics in that league.
Akron
1. "Akron" has organized its affairs in the league, but failed in the last cup match The Tolyatti team failed at the start of the season under the direction of Srđan Blagojević – the difficult style of the Serbian coach required time. The club's management gave it, and "Akron" transformed. The team had already earned points from "Krasnodar" away (1:1), beat "Ahmat" (2:0) and surpassed "Dinamo" in the last round (3:1). Thanks to this victory, the Tolyatti team left the fourth worst of the teams for the first time in the season. However, last week the team, leaving with a strong barrier without duplicate scorers, failed in the Cup in Rostov-on-Don (1:6).
2. Three key players are suspended, Benjimon is injured Srđan Blagojević cannot envy it. Only the game has been organized – and gaps in the squad must be filled. In Kaliningrad they will not be able to play immediately three important "Akron" players – central midfielders Kristijan Bistrovich and Stefan Lonchar and right back Vyacheslav Bardybakin: each received the fourth yellow card in the game with "Dinamo". In the squad, Milutin Vidosavlevich and Hetag Hosonov can come out, who missed the cup game. Bardybakin will be replaced by Yomar Rocha, who missed the game with "Dinamo" of Makhachkala, or the universal Konstantin Maradishvili. The best scorer of "Akron", Zilson Benjimon, continues to recover.
3. "Akron" plays poorly away In this season, the Tolyatti team did not achieve a single away win in the league. In the Cup there was only one – against CSKA. In recent times, most were draws, but the defeats against "Rostov", which plays a football similar to "Baltic" with a focus on vertical attacks, stand out. At the start of the season away, "Akron" let three goals even against "Rodina". With the absence of the three main footballers, the chances of the Tolyatti team to break the long streak are not very high.
Estimated lineups
3-4-2-14-3-31
Latashonok4
Gassama24
Muikolo2
Varyatinov77
Chivich8
Mendel10
Petrov22
Bebeev7
Shiltsov73
Petrov91
Hill88
Gudiev26
Escoval19
Bokoev2
Rocha21
Fernandes80
Hosonov55
Vidoslavlevich6
Oganesyan71
Pestryakov99
Shumanisky9
Tedich
Trend bets
"Baltic" won nine of thirteen direct matches.
P1 – at 1.73.
In four of the last five direct matches, only one team scored. Only one will score – at 2.12.
Prediction
Baltic vs Akron 01.11.2026 18:30
In "Baltic" there are no league wins since the end of August, but the team does not crumble – it occupies ninth place. From time to time, the team shows character in important matches, such as the last round against "Krasnodar". The vertical football style of "Baltic" is uncomfortable for "Akron", which bets on ball control. In direct encounters, the Kaliningrad team has a great advantage – nine wins in thirteen matches.
"Akron" has organized its affairs in the league – beat "Dinamo" and left the fourth worst of the teams for the first time in the season. However, last week the Tolyatti team suffered a painful defeat against "Rostov" in the Cup. In addition, the team lost three starting XI players to suspensions, and Zilson Benjimon continues to recover from injury. In the league, "Akron" has never won away. For "Baltic", this is the best opportunity to break the streak of no league wins.
Prediction: 2-0
