Orenburg – Rovina: preview
We have the lineups for the Orenburg and Rovina match as part of the fifth round of the group stage of the Russian Cup Championship 2026/27.
"Orenburg" surprises both in the league and in the Cup, where it aims to advance from the group. "Rovina" finally won in the league with Jonathan Alba, but sits at the bottom of the table.
Key points
Orenburg
1. "Orenburg" in excellent form
The Ural team under Ilidar Akhmetzhanov is having one of the best seasons in the club’s history in the Premier League, keeping pace with the eras of Vladimir Fedotov and Marcelo Litcha. Now "Orenburg" is in sixth place in the league, and in all competitions the team has a five‑match unbeaten run. The coach remains interested in "Rubin", but for now Akhmetzhanov stays. "Orenburg" has also learned to play away; in the last league round they won 1:0 in Grozny. The team also performs well in the Cup, with two home victories of 4:1, including the win over "Rovina". Now "Orenburg" is in second place in the group, three points ahead of "Rubin".
2. Casadzhikov suspended, Akhmetzhanov will rotate Like most Premier League coaches, "Orenburg"’s manager uses the cup competition as a platform to give playing time to the next reserve. Ilidar Akhmetzhanov will not be able to count on Andrey Casadzhikov, who was sent off in the away match against "Rubin". Also injured are backup goalkeeper Maxim Rudakov and striker Maxim Saveliev. In Kazan, two first‑team players from "Orenburg" appeared: Ruslan Kul and Dmitry Rybchinskiy. Before their tough league match against CSKA, they could be replaced by Benjamin Bosh and Omar Minatulaev.
3. "Orenburg" has lost only once at home this season Traditionally the Ural team is strong on the artificial turf of "Gazovik". This season they only lost a regular‑time match to "Zenit" with a hat‑trick from Maxim Glushenkov. The home victory, however, was also only one, and it was over "Dinamo" of Makhachkala (4:0). In Orenburg the team knows how to pick up points from superior opponents: they drew 0:0 with "Krasnodar". Against "Rovina", which still has not fully resolved its defensive problems and was defeated 4:1 in the first round in Khimki, "Orenburg" appears a clear favourite.
Rovina
1. "Rovina" finally won in the league, but the Cup is going poorly In the early matches under Jonathan Alba, defensive quality did not differ much from the period with Juan Diaz. The team conceded three goals to CSKA, four to "Spartak" in the Cup, and two in the home draw with "Orenburg" in the league. The game in Voronezh turned into a six‑point match. "Rovina" managed to win with a controversial penalty. Alba stopped controlling the ball and passed to a rival who does not play positional attacks, allowing them to approach the joining zone. In the Cup things remain bad: besides the big win over "Rubin" (5:0) under Diaz, "Rovina" sits at the bottom of the group.
2. Becca and Egorychev injured, Fischek suspended Some first‑team players of "Rovina" will not be able to play: Rodrigo Becca and Andrey Egorychev withdrew during the match against "Fakel", Ruslan Fischek accumulated cards in the Cup. The league remains the priority, and Jonathan Alba will rotate the squad. In defense a Russian combination will appear, mixed with Mitya Krizhan; all started poorly this season under Juan Diaz, not reaching the elite level of the division. Back at the base will be Artem Maksimenko and Artur Garibyan, who started well this season but lost places in the starting eleven under Alba.
3. "Rovina" has a long bench Unlike many teams in the lower half of the table, "Rovina" does not have youth in the Cup. The second team of Moscow now fights to enter the First League while maintaining its position in the elite, and theoretically its players could try their luck in the Cup. However, the main "Rovina" bench is now quite long. In a way it is even more used than the base: most of its squad are players who, under Diaz, reached the Premier League.
Estimated lineups
4-2-3-14-2-3-135
Degtev4
Hotulev38
Kasimov3
Vedennikov22
Lukashov80
Pikheev
Minatulaev27
Golobin11
Nazarenco21
Bosh30
Guzina1
Aydarov26
Meschaninov55
Krizhan80
Bessmerntny3
Goglichidze8
Pozho38
Musayev18
AbdulSalamov72
Gordyushenko9
Maksimenko77
Garibyan
Betting trends In three of the last five matches of "Orenburg" and six of eight matches of "Rovina", both teams scored. OZ – for 1.65. In four of the last five matches of "Orenburg" and five of six matches of "Rovina" more than three goals were scored. TB 2.5 – for 1.72.
Prediction
Orenburg vs Rovina 28.10.2026 17:00
"Orenburg" in excellent form – the team of Ilidar Akhmetzhanov in its current state does not lag behind the selections of Vladimir Fedotov and Marcelo Litcha. The Ural team is in sixth place in the league and aims to advance from the group in the Cup. Ilidar Akhmetzhanov will make a serious rotation in the squad, and additionally Andrey Casadzhikov, Maxim Rudakov and Maxim Saveliev cannot play. "Orenburg" this season beat "Rovina" in the Cup 4:1 and has only lost once at home in all competitions.
"Rovina" finally achieved a win under Jonathan Alba, in the most important match under a controversial referee at home beating "Fakel". In this game the team lost Rodrigo Becca and Andrey Egorychev. In the Cup things are going poorly – they are closing the group table. "Rovina" will present the lineup that played in the Premier League last season. However, it does not maintain the defensive line level. Assume a win for "Orenburg" and its exit to the playoffs.
Prediction: 2-0
