FK Minsk – Torpedo

FK Minsk welcome high-flying Torpedo Belaz Zhodino to the capital city in this Saturday’s early kickoff in a crucial league match that they hope will signal intentions for this season.

FK MINSK

FK Minsk got their season back on track with an impressive 3-1 victory away at Slavia Mozyr following a terrible run of three straight defeats against Energetik, BATE and newcomers Rukh Brest in which they even failed to score a goal. This last win moved them from 12th on the log up to 9th place and they will be looking to carry that momentum into this crucial home fixture. Coach Andrey Razin was pleased to see his side end a three-game goal drought by scoring three away from home and picking up all three points on offer last weekend. They did concede late in that game however and that meant their quest for the first clean sheet of the season continues in earnest. Their defence hasn’t quite been one of their strong suits this season. They have conceded as many goals as the bottom side Belshina.

That 9th position they currently hold coincides with where they finished at the end of last season. Their ambition certainly is to finish higher on the table given they have been doing that over the past three seasons. Getting that away win was certainly crucial in achieving this goal. Their away performances in the league have been nothing worth writing home about. Prior to that last win they had only managed 2 wins in their last 18 away games. They will certainly welcome the win at Slavia with open arms and hope to build on it not just in this next home game but crucially for upcoming away matches.

They are facing a team with a stubborn defence and they will certainly hope to get the best out of their forwards to unlock the Torpedo Belaz defence. A man to keep an eye on in the home team will be Roman Gribovskiy, who scored his second goal of the season at the weekend. Belarus forward Vladimir Khvashchinsky has also impressed with a couple of goals and some great runs from the centre of the pack. If they maintain an attacking approach for this game, then they can well cause some problems for that Torpedo Belaz backline.

TORPEDO BELAZ ZHODINO

Torpedo held onto the third spot on the Belarus Premier League table after being held to a goalless draw at home against Premier League debutants Rukh Brest last weekend. It was a pretty even game with neither side really grabbing the game by its scruff. Many pundits actually expected that kind of outcome with both teams predominantly known for their defences and they did not disappoint. There were a few chances for either side to take it but that was not to be and they shared the spoils.

Torpedo’s defence has been extraordinary this season. In the 6 games they have played, they have only conceded twice – both goals coming in the same game – a 2-0 loss at Minsk. This means they have actually kept clean sheets in 5 of their 6 games, including their last three straight games. They will set out to defend well once again and we expect a close encounter here. Whoever breaks the deadlock might well go ahead and win the game altogether.

Yuri Puntus’ side hasn’t had as much success on the attacking end through. Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Santos is their leading scorer with two goals and has caught the eye sometimes with great runs and crisp passes from midfield. He is literally their brightest spot at that end of the field and they will continue relying on him and his creative touches to spur their attack. A win over Minsk could see them climb to the summit of the league but that certainly is a tough task for any team visiting the capital.

Possible Line Ups

BETTING TIPS AND PREDICTIONS FOR FK MINSK V TORPEDO BELAZ ZHODINO

FK Minsk come into this match buoyant after a brilliant win away from home on their last outing. Roman Gribovskiy who got scored his second of the season and grabbed an assist in that victory seems to have found his feet. We expect them to go on the attack mode from the get-go and try and apply early pressure on that stubborn Torpedo Belaz defence. We will, therefore, predicate our first betting tip on the first half action and we are going for 1st Half FK Minsk or Draw and BTTS NO @ 1.51.

Although Minsk are yet to keep a clean sheet this season, Zhodino have failed to score in their last 4 visits to the capital. Zhodino’s attack hasn’t quite lit up the place this season and we see this as a good opportunity for Minsk to get their first clean sheet of the season. Betway betting app’s price of 2.59 for FK Minsk clean sheet YES certainly looks very appealing and we fancy that for our final betting tip for the game.

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