Slavia Mozyr vs FC Minsk

Slavia Mozyr will be looking to bounce back from a tough loss to Isloch Minsk last weekend when they play host to FC Minsk in the Belarusian Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Slavia have had a rollercoaster season thus far, collecting seven points from their first five games to take 10th position on the log, even though they are just three points shy of the table-toppers at this early stage of the season. They kicked off this season’s campaign with a 3-1 defeat at Slutsk before getting their act together and grabbing back-to-back wins over traditional giants BATE Borisov and the reigning champions Dinamo Brest, two results that sent some shockwaves around the league and excitement among their fan base. Slavia, unfortunately, went to sleep after those huge wins and were thereafter held at home by Premier League newcomers Rukh Brest in their next game before losing 2-1 at Isloch last weekend.

Mikhail Martinovich’s men have been on a steady rise in the Belarusian league. They finished eighth last season, having been promoted to the top flight league the season before. They have turned the Stadion Junosť into a kind of a fortress lately having not lost in their last seven home games, with four clean sheets in that span. Midfielder Andrey Chukhley has been their key player this season, his two league goals coming off penalties, were match openers in games they eventually ended up winning. Coach Martinovich will also be expecting more from 23-year-old Russian forward Nikita Melnikov who was excellent against BATE earlier in the season scoring a brace in the 2-0 win.

Slavia have shown this season that they can indeed play at a high clip. The two huge wins against BATE and Dinamo Brest attest to this. Scoring hasn’t really been an issue for them. They have scored in all but one game they have played this season. They will certainly fancy their chances against their opponents who so far hold the inauspicious record of being the worst defense in the league with 9 goals conceded. With a season that is by all accounts up for grabs, Slavia will certainly look to put a statement of intent on Saturday afternoon.

FC MINSK

After a promising start to the season with back-to-back wins over Belshina and Dinamo Minsk in their first two fixtures, FC Minsk have been brought down to earth with three straight losses that has seen them to 12th place on the table. Even more worryingly for coach Andrey Razin is not just that they have lost three straight games, but the fact that they have failed to find the back of the net in these games and have conceded 7 times in that run. They have now conceded more goals than anyone else and that is certainly a major cause for alarm as they make the trip to Mozyr. They are yet to keep a clean sheet this season.

FC Minsk finished a respectable 9th position in the league last season which was an improvement from their previous two seasons. Away matches have however proven to be Minsk’s Achilles’ heel over the last couple of seasons. Their recent away performances in the league looks ominous for the travelling band of away fans. They have only managed a couple of wins in their last 18 away league games.

All is not lost for them, however. Belarus forward Vladimir Khvashchinsky has been one of their silver linings so far this season with impressive displays in the games they have played. He has scored a couple of goals and has been quite effective in midfield. Coach Andrey Razin will be looking at him to provide some inspiration for his team that is short on confidence following this poor run of three straight defeats.

Possible Line Ups

BETTING TIPS AND PREDICTIONS FOR SLAVIA MOZYR V FC MINSK

Slavyr Mozyr have looked good this season with impressive victories over higher-rated opponents. They are only three points off the top of the table. Playing at home, we feel they will get the much inspiration they need to get back to winning ways. We are backing Slavyr Mozyr or Draw @ 1.32 for our first betting tip of the game.

Slavia have also been quick off the blocks. They have scored the opening goal in 7 of their last 10 competitive games. They are up against literally the worst defence in the league. We expect their early bird trend to continue and we are therefore going for Slavia Mozyr To Win Either Half @ 1.66 for our second betting tip for the game.

With the exception of the last meeting between these two sides which ended 1-0 in favor of Minsk, this fixture always tends to produce thrillers. With Minsk desperate to snap out of a three-game losing streak and Slavia looking to get back to winning ways after a bad loss, the ingredients for another thrilling encounter are certainly there. 1XBet betting app’s price of 2.02 for BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE looks appealing and we are backing it for our final betting tip for this game. Good luck!