Volga Ulyanovsk vs Arsenal Tula

Ulyanovsk host Arsenal Tula in the Russian First League on September 5, a fixture that means more right now for the home side. Arsenal Tula sit ninth with 11 points from eight games, just outside the top half, while Ulyanovsk are 14th on six points, needing a result to ease pressure near the relegation zone. Form favors the visitors lately: Arsenal Tula beat Rotor 2-1 before a 2-0 defeat at Veles, taking points in four of their last five. Ulyanovsk have struggled by comparison, winning just once in five, including a 1-3 loss to Shinnik and a narrow defeat to Sochi. Watch Amur Kalmykov, third in last season's FNL scoring charts with 16 goals, and summer signing Maxim Maksimov, a former FNL top scorer brought in from Torpedo to boost Arsenal Tula's attack. Head-to-head history is thin, since Ulyanovsk only returned to the FNL in 2022 after a 14-year absence. Our prediction: 1-2