Belarus Premier League Matchday 19 Odds & Picks

• Matchday 19 in the Belarus Premier League kicks off with games starting this Friday
• Shakhtar and BATE tied at the top with 34 points
• We list the odds for all eight games and preview three, offering our best picks

As we approach Matchday 19 of the Belarus Premier League, things are getting ever-tighter at the top with BATE’s weekend win over Ruh Brest pulling them level with Shakhtar, who drew with Neman Grodno. In fact, in Week 18, BATE was the only team in the top six to win. This has made things very interesting in the battle for the top four places.

We’ll list the whole schedule, show the odds, preview three games, and offer a pick for each.

Belarus Premier League Matchday 19 Odds

All odds taken July 23

Pick 1: Energetik-BGU vs Torpedo BelAZ

Fourth-placed Energetik will be looking to get their season back on track when they entertain sixth-placed Torpedo at the RCOR-BGU Stadium on Sunday. Two defeats in a row have seen the Students drop off the pace, but this team has proved itself able to bounce back from adversity already. Two games ago they were humiliated 8-1 at home by Ruh Brest and followed that with a 2-1 defeat by lowly FC Minsk, but the game before they beat leaders BATE! One word… inconsistency.

It all depends, of course, on which Energetik team turns up for this one but it’s important to note they are still only five points adrift of leaders Shakhtar, so a win keeps their dreams of European competition well and truly alive. Torpedo, meanwhile, have now gone three without a win, but their point against Dinamo Minsk last weekend was at least enough to prevent a trio of back-to-back losses. Like Energetik, their Achilles Heel has been conceding too many soft goals.

Both teams are unpredictable enough to win this one, and it seems certain there will be goals, but for me, the best value is with the home win. I’m banking on the Energetik that beat BATE turning up.

Pick: Energetik to win (+160)

Pick 2: Vitebsk vs FK Slutsk

Vitebsk are the league’s draw specialists – eight already this season – but their 1-0 home win last weekend over struggling Smolevichi was sufficient to keep them in touch with the league’s top four. Another win on Friday night against Slutsk and they will edge them closer to their goal of European soccer next season.

For Slutsk it’s very much a case of what could have been. Their flying start to the season now seems a long time ago and a run of one win in eight has seen them slide down from the top of the table to 12th, with only Gorodeya, FC Minsk, Smolevichy and Belshina below them. As things stand, they have a fight on their hands to avoid 14th place, which at the end of the season brings with it a relegation playoff against the third-placed team in the second tier.

But Slutsk’s win over Isloch could possibly be a turning point and given Vitebsk’s propensity to end up drawing games they should win, there’s definitely value here in the draw.

Pick: Vitebsk and Slutsk to draw (+280)

Pick 3: Ruh Brest vs Slavia Mozyr

Ruh Brest’s sensational 8-1 win over Energetik-BGU on Matchday 16 rocked the league in its foundations, but one week later they were losing 3-0 to BATE. This two-game snapshot encapsulated why Ruh finds themselves in mid-table – brilliant one week, struggling the next – but, equally, there’s no debate to be had over how they’ve exceeded expectations this season. This time last year, they were in the second tier, so to be heading for a mid-table Premier League finish in 2020 is a massive achievement.

Slavia Mozyr had a blank weekend for Matchday 18 – their game with Dinamo Brest was postponed – but the week before they drew with then-leaders BATE; a clear sign of what they are capable of when everything clicks.

The last time these two met, on Matchday 4, it was goalless, with Ruh’s mean defense flexing its muscles in the early weeks of the season. And it remains the basis on which all of their good work is done, with their ‘goals against’ showing a miserly 17 in their 18 matches. With Slavia’s defense at the opposite end of the spectrum, the value here is with the home win – even though it’s odd-on – but taking Slavia’s draw with BATE into consideration, don’t ignore the prospect of a low-scoring, possibly goalless, draw.

Pick: Ruh Brest to win (-125)