A clash for 1st place in the league table, cautious play in the 1st half; most likely, after a mistake by one of the teams or after the 1st goal, the intensity will rise, which in turn means an abundance of yellow cards. I will risk betting on this outcome.

Dynamo Moscow will receive over 1.5 yellow cards in this match; that is my prediction. Dynamo Moscow really need a win, they play quickly, and if something does not go according to their plan, they will start committing fouls. They will probably win because Sochi look like clear underdogs.

Ural's handicap in this match seems quite obvious to me, so I will bet on this result. Most likely, Ural will even win by a small score, but I still won't risk betting on a win. Both teams play a boring and sluggish game, so they may end up drawing.

Rostov often commits fouls and picks up yellow cards; Orenburg play fast, counter-attacking football, as do Rostov. Rostov will be missing a key player (Melekhin) in defense. I don't know who the referee will be—much depends on him, but I think Rostov will have at least 2 yellow cards.

I think Lokomotiv Moscow will not lose in this case. A difficult game for Lokomotiv Moscow, with a lot of battling and high speed from Spartak Moscow, but I think Lokomotiv Moscow will hold on (and may even win). I’ll risk betting on this result.

Krasnodar host Krylya Sovetov. Although Krylya Sovetov are a likable team, I expect Krasnodar to win. There may be a large number of goals and yellow cards. If there is no sending-off, which is possible, Krasnodar will win.

Akhmat Grozny vs Fakel Voronezh — home win. Both teams are at the very bottom of the league table, but a win at home is extremely important for Akhmat Grozny. I think that is most likely what will happen. There probably will not be many goals, but I think it will be a narrow win.

It seems to me that Lazio will not lose this match, there will be many cards, and they will most likely even play out a draw. A tight game in the center of the field, many passes, but few goals. Lazio traditionally scores few goals.

I think Zenit will not lose this game and the total number of goals will be under 3.5. This is a difficult away game for Zenit, but they need to earn points, while Baltika, in turn, are not a high-scoring team.

Rostov - Ural often commit fouls. I think there will be at least 3 yellow cards, most likely Rostov will even have an advantage in this aspect. Younger players, more mistakes. Although this is a cup match, it is difficult to make predictions in this case.

This is always a game with a large number of fouls. I think that although it is a cup match, fewer than 4 yellow cards will be shown in this match. The second team will need to be tested, and therefore there will be many errors and yellow cards.

I think Lokomotiv Moscow will not lose this match (most likely they will win), but it is a cup match and nobody is motivated, so it could also end in a draw. Most likely, it will be a boring game with the ball being passed around in midfield.

I think Krylya Sovetov will lose by a margin of 1–2 goals, since they have no tournament motivation in this case. Zenit, on the other hand, need to please the home crowd and show a result, as well as give young players some playing time (and let them score).