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BATE Borisov vs Dinamo Brest Odds & Preview: Belarus Cup Final

Gary Gowers

by Gary Gowers in Soccer News

Updated May 25, 2020 · 11:18 AM PDT

It's the Belarusian Cup Final this weekend with BATE Borisov meeting Dinamo Brest in the Dinamo Stadium, Minsk on Sunday, May 24, KO 10:00 am EST. Will BATE defeat Brest for the second time in just four days?
  • On Sunday, BATE Borisov meet Dinamo Brest in the Belarus Cup Final
  • The two teams met in midweek with BATE winning 3-1 in Brest
  • Get the preview, odds and best bets for this game below

It’s the Belarusian Cup Final this weekend with BATE Borisov meeting Dinamo Brest in the Dinamo Stadium, Minsk on Sunday, May 24, KO 10:00 am EST.

As ever, we’ll preview the game, look at their respective journeys to the final, look at the odds, and try to identify some value.

BATE Borisov vs Dinamo Brest UCL Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
BATE Borisov -0.5 (-121) -120 O 2.5 (-114)
Dinamo Brest +0.5 (+121) +309 U 2.5 (-106)
Draw N/A +274 N/A

All odds taken May 21.

From 52 Down to Just Two

Sunday’s game is the 29th final of the Belarusian Cup – a competition that, unlike the Belarus Premier League season, runs from May through to May. The winners of the Cup will qualify for the second qualifying round of next season’s UEFA Europa League.

It all started back on May 22, 2019, when in the first round of the competition six amateur clubs were drawn against six Second League clubs. The First League clubs entered the fray in the second round and the Premier League clubs in the next round – the round-of-32.

In total, 52 teams entered, with the quarterfinals and semifinals both taking place over two legs. BATE and Dinamo were the two to emerge and will meet in Sunday’s one-off finale in Minsk.

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Stroll in the Park

For BATE, the early rounds were a stroll in the park, with a 5-2 away win over Sputnik Rechitsa in the round-of-32 being followed up with an even more emphatic 8-1 home win over Torpedo Minsk in the last 16. Their win over Dinamo Minsk in the quarterfinal was set up with a 2-1 win away and then finished off with a 3-2 victory at home in Borisov.

They were however made to work hard in the semifinal when, after losing 1-0 away to Slavia Mozyr, they had to do it the hard way by winning the return leg 2-0 in Borisov. But they start the final odds-on for a reason.

BATE Borisov vs Dinamo Brest Head-to-Head Stats

BATE Borisov
VS
Dinamo Brest
5 Cup games played in 2019/20 5
20 Goals scored in the 2019/20 Cup 8
7 Goals conceded in 2019/20 Cup 5
8-1 (vs Torpedo Minsk) Biggest win in 2019/20 Cup 3-1 (vs FC Minsk)
3 No. of times cup winners 3
15 No. of times league winners 1
6 Europa League (UEFA Cup) qualification 4
15 Champions League qualification 0

Tough Road for Dinamo

For Dinamo, the earlier rounds were rather more challenging than they were for BATE and began with a narrow 1-0 away win at local rivals Ruh Brest in the round-of-32. Things were marginally more straightforward in the round-of-16 when they beat FC Minsk 3-1 at home, leading them to a quarterfinal clash with fellow Premier League team Isloch.

As it transpired, there was literally nothing to choose between the teams as they played out two goalless draws plus extra-time before Dinamo edged through by winning 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out. Their prize was a two-legged semi against Shakhtar Soligorsk, which turned into a goal-fest. Dinamo’s 2-0 win in the first leg was canceled out by a 4-2 win for the hosts in Soligorsk and with extra-time unable to split them, in the end the tie was decided on the away goals rule.

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A Few Clues in Brest?

By way of a dress rehearsal, these two met in Brest in the league on Wednesday and it was the visitors who triumphed. Dragun gave BATE the lead on the half-hour mark, which was canceled out Milevskiy’s goal ten minutes later, but second-half goals from Nekhajchik and Milic gave BATE a decisive 3-1 win – a significant boost for them ahead of the final.

Overall, BATE holds the upper hand in games between these two and, dating back to 1996, the 15-time champions have recorded 41 wins from the  58 times the teams have met. Brest has only won 11 times but it is well worth noting that, prior to Wednesday night, their recent form against BATE had been pretty good; the current champions winning three, drawing one, and losing just one of their previous five games.

Dinamo Unphased by BATE Reputation

So, while BATE starts as clear favorites, there is recent evidence to suggest that Brest knows what it takes to beat the giants of Belarus soccer. They won’t be daunted by BATE’s reputation, as some other teams are, and will instead look to draw on all the good things that they did in recent wins over them.

It’s hard to make a case for a Dinamo win in 90 minutes however, especially after the midweek result, but it will be a tighter game and it’s quite conceivable it could go all the way to extra-time. Therefore, for me, there is value in the draw after 90 minutes.

Pick: BATE and Dinamo Brest to draw (after 90 minutes) – (+274)

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