Spartak Moscow vs Rubin: preview
We count the predictions for the Spartak Moscow and Rubin match in the fifth round of the group stage of the 2026/27 Russian Cup.
"Spartak" wants to correct the defeat in the derby against CSKA. Rubin’s crisis could hit the hot spot.
Key points
Spartak Moscow
1. The unbeaten streak was broken
Until the weekend, Spartak had not lost in five matches, and four of them were wins. The only mishap occurred at home against Kryly Sovetov (1:1) – in Samara they had to play with a deficit from the 24th minute and almost failed to secure three points. But consistent performance has not yet been seen.
The Sunday derby with CSKA was controversial: Spartak faltered in the first 25 minutes, but after conceding two goals they recovered and could wait for a comeback – interrupted by Maxim Borisko, who made ten saves. In the end Spartak outperformed the opponent in all key statistics, but the result was a goalless defeat and a drop to fifth place. In the Cup, the red‑blacks lead the group with ten points out of twelve possible.
2. Jensen again unavailable
The Portuguese only left the RPL – and in the derby with CSKA he unexpectedly started on the bench, ending with half an hour of play. He will not return in this round – now due to an excess of yellow cards in the Russian Cup.
Danil Prutyev, on the other hand, served his Cup suspension and can play from the start. The attacking spearhead should appear Mirlind Daku – in the last match with his former club the Albanian scored a brace.
3. Spartak rarely fails at home
In the last 23 matches at Lukoil Arena, Spartak lost only twice, and both were against Krasnodar. With Juan Carlos Carcedo, they won 13 of 16 encounters. Away from the bulls the team only lost to Oranbur at the end of summer (1:1).
In the autumn season, Spartak already won four consecutive matches, and in the last game they entertained Rubin (4:0). After that domination, the goalless streak extends beyond 320 minutes. In the Cup, Spartak has not yet lost without scoring, but that did not prevent them from beating Rodina and the same Oranbur with a total of 8:2. We highlight the effectiveness, as even in away matches the Moscowers average 3.25 goals – the largest margin on the RPL route.
Rubin
1. Rubin dismissed Artigu after the fourth consecutive defeat
Rumors about a coaching change followed after the bleak match against Spartak in the RPL, but the Spaniard was given another chance in the home match against Kryly Sovetov. The result was another defeat (0:2). Rubin has not won for seven consecutive matches, and in the table they fell to 11th place.
On Saturday night the club announced Artigu’s resignation. At least until winter, the team will be temporarily led by Oleg Kuzmin – former Rubin player who worked seven years as an assistant and will now have his first experience as head coach.
2. Sive will not play with Rozhkov
Forward Jace Sive missed the last match due to injury, and now a suspension in the Cup is added. The forward may be replaced by the return of Dardan Shabanhadzhay after injury.
Additionally, due to an excess of yellow cards, Ilya Rozhkov will not help. The full‑back must replace Ruslan Bezrukov. Defender Zhahongir Urozov will serve the sanction in the next RPL round, so he can now be included in the lineup.
3. Rubin is weak both offensively and defensively
Artigu never managed to play bright offensive football, but before the break for national teams, Rubin almost never ended goalless – normally had at most one goal. In October we saw only one goal in four matches – in the failed Cup match against Oranbur, playing with a deficit, Rubin scored in the 93rd minute with a 0:4 score. Kuzmin is used to working mainly in defense, so a sudden improvement is not expected.
Defensive actions also have big doubts. Recently, Rubin updated its worst record, with the most goals in the RPL in the 14th game. In the Cup, still without "goals", with four total rounds of 11 goals – the worst performance in the tournament along with Rodina.
Approximate formations 4-4-2-3-1
Pomazun33 Parada4 Jiku3 Vu97 Denisov27 Dmitriev18 Umyarov25 Prutyev17 Saus9 Ugaldie19 Daku25 Nigmatullin2 Tselenko98 Lobov13 Urozov71 Samoshnikov8 Yokich22 Khodja23 Bezrukov44 Kuznetsov99 Shabanhadzhay7 Babaev
Betting on the trend
"Spartak" scored at least two goals in three of the last four home matches against Rubin. IT1B 1.5 to 1.60.
In three of the four previous home encounters between Spartak and Rubin more than two goals were scored. TB 2.5 to 1.81.
Prediction
Spartak Moscow vs Rubin 28.10.2026 21:30
"Spartak" could not extend the unbeaten streak, and fell in the derby against CSKA (0:2). The game was not so bleak, but the defeat must be corrected for the main reason. It is important that at that moment Carcedo’s team has a home match. The mishaps at Lukoil Arena are usually rare, and since the start of autumn Spartak has won four consecutive matches. The last time they hosted Rubin – and delivered four goals without reply.
After that meeting, it was expected that the Kazan team would change coaches, but Artigu stayed another week – until the next match against Kryly Sovetov. After the fourth consecutive defeat, Rubin dismissed the Spaniard. Now the team will be led by Kuzmin, who spent seven years as an assistant, but never held the head coach position. Rubin has many problems, and the simple emotional boost after Artigu’s departure probably will not help stop Spartak.
Prediction: 3-1
