Ak Bars vs Avtomobilist. Who will be stronger in the battle of neighbors in the standings?

Representatives of the Eastern Conference, Ak Bars and Avtomobilist, will hold a head-to-head match in Kazan on November 30. The game will take place on the ice of the Kazan Tatneft Arena.

• Expert Predictions Analysis
• Statistics
• Odds
• Game Totals Prediction

Our Expert Predictions & Analysis on Ak Bars vs Avtomobilist

Ak Bars

The Kazan club is traditionally among the main contenders for the championship before each season, but the current championship for Ak Bars is still controversial. By name, Ak Bars looks the most impressive of all the KHL teams, however, as has happened more than once, a team made up of stars does not always become a star team. Another alarming point is the age of the team leaders. Voinov, Kagarlitsky, Lukoyanov, Petrov, Radulov, Shipachev - everyone is well over thirty and it is physically impossible to complete the eight-month marathon of the championship in one mode at that age.

Right now Ak Bars is experiencing a noticeable decline in play, which is primarily noticeable in the frankly weak game in attack. In 180 minutes of playing time, in three matches against Dynamo Moscow, Salavat Yulaev and Kunlun, the Kazan team was able to score only one goal, leaving the ice without scoring goals in the games against the Ufa team and the Chinese club. The away match against Vityaz gave Barsov fans some hope for overcoming the protracted gaming crisis, in which the Kazan team was finally able to win, beating the Moscow region team with a score of 3-2. Now Ak Bars is only fifth in the East, with 42 points scored, already 10 points behind the leading Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

Avtomobilist

Over the past few seasons, Avtomobilist has been disappointing its fans much more often, while with fairly good financing it continues to remain a typical middle peasant in the League. The current season was no exception. Due to individual skill, and Avtomobilist’s roster is quite serious by KHL standards, the Urals collect their points, but the team still cannot reach the leading position, contenting itself with fighting for a place in the playoffs.

In mid-November, Avtomobilist had an impressive away series in the Far East, taking 6 points out of 8 possible. It was not possible to extend the winning streak; after returning from Vladivostok, Avtomobilist lost to Traktor in Chelyabinsk 2-4, and then unexpectedly lost at home to Dynamo Minsk 1-4. They managed to partially redeem themselves in front of their fans due to an overtime victory over Tolyatti Lada 3-2, but in the next home match Avtomobilist lost again, this time losing with a score of 1-4 to Moscow Spartak. This defeat dropped the Urals to seventh place in the Eastern Conference, with the risk of ending up outside the top eight in the near future.

Statistics

The last three matches between these teams ended in a draw, and in the end the winner was Avtomobilist, who twice pinned down the opponent in overtime and once again outplayed in the shootout. Avtomobilist's victory, taking into account overtime and a shootout for 2.5. Interestingly, last season Avtomobilist managed to win in each of the four matches played against Ak Bars, except for the three listed above, where the victory was achieved outside of regular time, the Urals also convincingly dealt with the Kazan team at home, defeating Bars with a score of 5-2.

Odds from download 1xbet

Despite the results of last season, the bookmaker continues to believe in Ak Bars, setting odds of 1.83 for the home team to win in regular time. For comparison, the possible victory of Avtomobilist this time is offered with odds of 3.6. The option with a fourth draw in a row is offered by the bookmaker with odds of 4.2. As for the expected performance, the specialists of 1xbet put up the following quotes: total over (4.5) – 1.61, total under (4.5) – 2.23. Install the 1xbet app and place a bet on the favorite!

Game Totals Prediction

Both teams are now far from their optimal state, and this is primarily noticeable by their significantly decreased performance. Both Ak Bars and Avtomobilist's average performance in the last five matches of the regular season does not reach the mark of two goals per match, which is an extremely low indicator for teams of this level. It’s unlikely that anything will change dramatically in these few days, so don’t expect a scoring feast in this match. Our prediction is Total Under 5.5 with odds of 1.65.