CSKA vs Lokomotiv: central game of Matchday 2
CSKA lost the last four head-to-head games. Can the Army club interrupt the string of defeats and beat Lokomotiv in the derby on July 31? Our answer is in the prediction below. What to expect from this fixture?

Command Analysis

CSKA Moscow

CSKA had an uneven season. They failed in the Europa League and were extremely unstable in the Russian Premier League. The board replaced the manager Viktor Goncharenko with Ivica Olic, but that didn't achieve the desired result - CSKA got into the competition for Europe, but in the end lost it to all the direct competitors, which were Sochi, Rubin, and Lokomotiv.
In the offseason, the club changed the manager again: this time CSKA was entrusted to Alexei Berezutsky. But except for the signing of Anton Zabolotny, the team wasn't really strengthened. Zabolotny was called upon to replace Salomon Rondon in the attack.
In the first round, CSKA played against Ufa and won 1:0 - Zabolotny scored his first goal after returning to the club. However, we must say that CSKA did not have a serious advantage in the game, and there were a few moments when Akinfeev had to come to the rescue.

Lokomotiv Moscow

Lokomotiv had an excellent series of games in the second half of the last season, which allowed Marko Nikolic's team to get a ticket to the Europa League, although Loko clearly had hoped for more. In the summer, Lokomotiv strengthened their defense, which was initially weakened by the loss of Vedran Corluka - Tin Jedvaj from Bayer 04 Leverkusen has replaced him.
The Red-greens opened the new season with a match of the Russian Super Cup, where they faced Zenit. The team suffered a crushing defeat with a score of 0:3 - not exactly a start that they hoped for. In the first round of the Premier League, Loko also had a difficult time. Until the 80th minute, they were losing to Arsenal at home but in the last ten minutes made a comeback and scored three goals.
Trends
СтавкаCorrect score 2:1
In the last six games of Lokomotiv, this score was recorded twice.

СтавкаCSKA to score in 2nd half
In the last four games of CSKA, this bet played.

СтавкаLokomotiv to score in 1st half
In three out of the last four games, Lokomotiv scored against CSKA in the first half.

СтавкаPenalty: yes
Penalties were given in two of the last three league games between the clubs.

Tip and bets
Lokomotiv did not show their best game against Arsenal, but they still took three points. In general, Loko are still far from the optimal form and make many mistakes in defense, which is unusual for them. CSKA is also just gaining form, but their team looked much more interesting in the first round, and they probably are motivated to interrupt the losing streak in the derby.
We think the hosts have a better chance of winning. Our prediction - Asian handicap (0) to CSKA.
CSKA, for all their problems, look stronger than Lokomotiv right now, and they don't make so many mistakes in defense. The hosts are able to take advantage of the opponents' setbacks, but at the same time, they probably will not push too hard and be happy with a minimal score.
Our second bet - CSKA to win by 1 goal.