Liontips
"Ak Bars" - "Salavat Yulaev": forecast for the KHL match
On December 18, we are expecting a "green derby" within the KHL. This time, Ak Bars will host a fight at home against Salavat Yulaev. The previous match between the clubs, which took place this month, ended in favor of the Ufa team in a tough fight. Nevertheless, bookmakers give preference to the home team. Will Kazan be able to please their fans in the first match after the break? What is the best bet? Find the answers to these questions in the forecast
Command Analysis
Ak Bars Kazan
Russian FederationCurrent form
Ak Bars is in third place in the Eastern Conference and has earned a total of 44 points. It will not be easy for the team to reach the leading position, from which it is currently separated by four points. However, it went into the break in good shape. Let us recall that the Kazan team managed to produce a series of four victories. However, after victories over Sochi (3:2 OT), Dynamo Moscow (5:4) and Vityaz (5:3), they still lost to Salavat with a score of 2:3 in overtime.
In that matchup with Ufa, they looked pretty good and played a quality game, but out of 34 shots on target, they scored only two goals. This is quite strange, since the "Bars" rarely have difficulty converting their chances. At the moment, they remain one of the most productive clubs in the East and even on the road, they score no less than three goals on average.
In addition, Anvar Gatiyatulin team shows its best side in unequal compositions. Thus, it has 21.2% of the extra man implementation, and also ranks first in the championship in the game in the minority and has 87.4% of the opponent majority neutralization. The main scorers in the team are Kirill Semenov, Artem Galimov and Alexander Barabanov, each of whom scored at least 27 points in the goal + pass system.
Disqualifications and injuries
Babenko will not be able to play in the upcoming match due to injury.
Interesting trends for betting
- Ak Bars gets 6.81 minutes of penalty time
Kazan players are usually sent off at least three times per match
- Ak Bars has 38:25 in goals scored and conceded in the third period
Kazan players play powerfully in the final twenty minutes and often score goals in it
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Russian FederationCurrent form
Salavat Yulaev remains one of the leaders of the Eastern Conference and may soon climb to first place, since it has the same number of points as Chelyabinsk. For almost two months, the team has been showing stable results and has not suffered a series of defeats. Before the break, it was in excellent shape and had a series of six victories. It was able to please the home stands, since in addition to Ak Bars, it also dealt with Spartak (5:1), Traktor (4:1) and Sibir (3:1).
It is noteworthy that in many cases the Ufa players demonstrated excellent defense and managed with less than three missed goals. Credit should also be given to goalkeeper Alexander Samonov, who often has to enter the game and make at least 30 saves per match. For example, even in the last match with Kazan, the goalkeeper parried 32 shots.
True, if Viktor Kozlov team plays great on their home court, they have a hard time earning points on the road. Thus, in 15 away games they have only been successful within 60 minutes four times, and on average they have let in about three goals. But Salavat plays great in unequal teams. For example, the club has a 21.7% majority conversion rate, and also ranks fifth in the league in minority play, with 83.3% neutralization of opponents' attempts.
Disqualifications and injuries
Kuzmin and Zorkin will not play in the upcoming match due to injuries.
Interesting trends for betting
- Salavat has a 37:25 ratio of goals scored and goals conceded in the second period
The Ufa team plays powerfully in the second twenty minutes and often scores goals in it.
- Salavat averages 32 shots on target
The team is one of the most "shooting" in the league at the moment
Trends
Bet 1st period: total under 1.5 goals
In three out of five matches between the clubs, the first period was unscoring
1.65Bet 3rd period: away team win
In four out of five meetings, Ufa achieved success in the third period
2.95Tip and bets
In our opinion, Salavat has an excellent chance to earn two points in this matchup. Ufa has won most of its previous matches against Ak Bars. The clubs have met twice this season, and the visitors have been successful in both cases. Kozlov team went into the break in excellent shape, and if they managed to maintain it, it will be difficult for Kazan to claim victory, even considering that they are playing on their home ice. Ufa, of course, rarely achieve victory in regular time when they play away, but they themselves rarely allow themselves to be dealt with within 60 minutes.
Forecast - Salavat will not lose for 1.65
Bet on individual total
In many previous matches, Salavat managed with a minimum number of missed pucks. As a rule, Ufa did not allow their opponents to score more than two goals. It is also worth mentioning that Kazan often has difficulties with scoring in matches with Salavat and, for example, in three previous matches out of five they were left with less than three goals scored. We think that this time Gatiyatulin team will not score three times.
We bet on Ak Bars individual total under 2.5 goals with odds of 1.85
Total Bet
The "Green Derby" is usually a tense, but low-scoring game. The teams are wary of each other and play power hockey, allowing a minimum number of dangerous moments at their gates. Three previous matches out of five between the clubs ended with fewer than five goals scored. Plus, both Ak Bars and Salavat are very good at defending, so in this case it makes sense to bet on the total under.
We take the total under 4.5 goals with a coefficient of 2.15
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