Dinamo Moscow vs Baltika Prediction, Lineups and Betting Tip

Match Details: July 18th, 2025 | VTB Arena, Moscow | Russian Premier League Opening Day

The Russian Premier 2025/26 season gets underway on Friday, as Dinamo Moscow face newly promoted Baltika in a bid to get their campaigns off to winning starts.

Having finished in the top six in three of the last four seasons, the game poses as a very tricky opening day fixture for Baltika, who will simply want to limit the damage before facing some slightly easier opponents later down the line.

Key Betting Tip: Dinamo Moscow to Win is our main betting tip, but no odds have been released on any of our betting sites as of now.

Dinamo Moscow vs Baltika Predicted Lineups

Dinamo Moscow Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Andrey Lunev (GK); Aleksandr Kutitsky, Roberto Fernandez, Maksim Osipenko, Eliazer Dasa; Danil Glebov, Daniil Fomin; Nicolas Ngamaleu, Bitello, Yaroslav Gladyshev; Ivan Sergeyev.

One of the sides to surprisingly never win the Russian Premier League, Dinamo Moscow have made statement moves in the transfer market over the summer in an attempt to change that tune.

Signing goal scoring FC Rostov defender Maksim Osipenko and Russian international striker Ivan Sergeyev, Moscow have acquired two quality, dynamic additions to their squad that have the potential to change the way they approach and play their league games.

Adding to the already obvious international quality, which include Paraguay’s Juan Caceres, Colombia’s Jorge Carrascal and Brazil’s Arthur, Moscow look dead set for another high placing finish this season.

Baltika Predicted XI (3-5-2): Rostislav Soldatenko (GK); Vitaly Stezhko, Anri Tchichanadze, Stefan Milic; Daniil Gurchenko, Egor Ivanov, Roman Akbashev, Oleg Lanin, Merabi Uridia; Gedion Guzina, Chinonso Offor.

Promoted from the First division in convincing fashion, Baltika’s squad will fancy they have what it takes to stay in the Russian top flight this time round. Relegated at the first attempt in 2023/24, they have yoyo’d straight back up - this extra developmental season in the second tier could prove to be the difference between survival and demotion.

Finishing four points clear of the first division last season, they netted 50 goals in 34 games, and conceded just 18, seven less than the next best defensive team. Moreover, their goals were spread evenly across the field, with nine players netting three or more, and top scorer Sergey Pryakhin netting just six times in the league.

Dinamo Moscow vs Baltika Current League Standings

The Russian Premier League season is yet to start - in fact, this game, scheduled for 18:30 GMT on Friday evening is the first league fixture of the season, kicking off the campaign.

As a result, with no games played, both sides sit level on zero points.

Dinamo Moscow vs Baltika Head to Head Timeline

This clash owns a very one sided head to head record - thanks to their general occupation of the second tier, compared with Dinamo’s loftier ambitions, Baltika have only won one meeting with the Capital side since 2016, while Friday’s hosts have won six in return.

Last Five Head to Head Meetings:

• May 2024: Baltika 2-3 Dinamo Moscow (Premier League)
• Feb 2024: Baltika 3-0 Dinamo Moscow (Club Friendly)
• Aug 2023: Dinamo Moscow 2-0 Baltika (Premier League)
• Apr 2022: Baltika 1-1p Dinamo Moscow (Russian Cup QF)
• Feb 2018: Dinamo Moscow 2-0 Baltika (Club Friendly)

Having never beaten their opponents in their competitive setting, the only victory Baltika can show for their effort is a 3-0 mid-season friendly win, in which first half goals from Joel Fameyeh, Dmitri Rybchinskiy and Aleksandr Osipov were enough to claim a morale boosting result.

Moscow’s last triumph over Baltika came in their last fixture - trailing 2-1 in extra time, a 90+3 Roberto Fernandez equalizer and an astonishing 90+9 Nicolas Ngamaleu winner left Baltika fans heart broken, as the two sides played out of the most entertaining matches of last season.

Dinamo Moscow and Baltika Recent Match Analysis

Dinamo Moscow’s Last Five Games:

• Lokomotiv Moscow 1-5 Dinamo Moscow (Club Friendly).
• Dinamo Moscow 1-1 FK Akhmat (Club Friendly).
• Dinamo Moscow 3-1 Partizan Beograd (Club Friendly).
• Dinamo Moscow 4-0 OFK Beograd (Club Friendly).
• Dinamo Moscow 3-0 2DROTS (Club Friendly)

After a strong end to their 2024/25 league season, Dinamo Moscow carried that form through the summer break and into pre-season, where they have not lost any of their five pre-season fixtures.

Though some opponents were quite clearly not on their level, a 5-1 victory over local rivals and 2017/18 league champions Lokomotiv Moscow left Dinamo fans giddy and impatiently anticipating the competitive season ahead. If that game was a preview of things to come, Dinamo look good to lift their first ever Russian Premier League title.

Baltika’s Last Five Games:

• Zenit St. Petersburg 1-2 Baltika (Club Friendly).
• Arsenal Tula 0-0 Baltika (First League).
• Baltika 0-0 FC Yenisey Krasnoyarsk (First League).
• Chernomorets Novorossiysk 0-0 Baltika (First League).
• Baltika 0-1 Torpedo Moscow (First League)

Though they had already sealed promotion, Baltika had a very poor end to their First League season last year, failing to score in any of their last four fixtures. However, their pre-season form suggests they have well and truly shaken off the funk.

No result in the last year has been more impressive than their defeat of 10 time Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg. Though it may have only been a friendly, the 2-1 win over last season's runners-up bodes well for the new season in the top flight.

Dinamo Moscow vs Baltika Prediction

Our advanced algorithm has analyzed over 200 data points, and has predicted that Dinamo Moscow will open up their campaign with a resounding 3-0 win here. This model factors in current form, head to head records, player availability and tactical matchups.

Dinamo Moscow vs Baltika Betting Tip

Football Park’s Best Bet: Dinamo Moscow to win - betting against one of the most established teams in Russian football is not recommended - especially when they face a newly promoted side on the opening day of the season.

Key Players to Watch: Dinamo Moscow vs Baltika

Bitello (Dinamo Moscow): Brought from Brazilian side Gremio in 2023, Bitello has adjusted to the Russian top flight like a duck to water. With nine goals in his first season, followed by 11 assists in his second, the Brazilian midfielder has shown that he is capable of scoring and assisting regularly, and has fast become Moscow’s best player.

Sergey Pryakhin (Baltika): Baltika’s top scorer in the First League last season, 2024/25 marked the first season that 22-year-old Pryakhin had surpassed five goals for a season, netting six in 31 games. While still a raw talent, Pryakhin has age on his side, and after a poor first Premier League season in which he scored just one goal, he will be eager to show the top flight what he can do.

Stadium Details

The VTB arena, based in North-Western Moscow, is Dinamo Moscow’s home ground. Completed in 2018, this modern, state-of-the-art facility has all of the latest sporting outfitting, as well as a maximum capacity of 33 ‘000.