Belarus Premier League Matchday 20 Odds & Picks

• Matchday 20 in the Belarus Premier League kicks off with games starting this Friday
• Shakhtar and BATE still tied at the top – now on 34 points
• We list the odds for seven games and preview three, offering our best picks

As we approach Matchday 20 of the Belarus Premier League, things remain tight at the top with the current top five winning and the bottom five all losing last weekend. As things stand, BATE and Shakhtar are neck and neck at the top of the table. but it promises to be a very interesting weekend with four of the top five playing each other.

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

Belarus Premier League Matchday 20 Odds

All odds taken July 30

Pick 1: Torpedo BelAZ vs BATE Borisov

It’s fifth versus second in Zhodino, as two in-form teams, both in the hunt for the title, clash in the Torpedo Stadium. The home team comes into this off the back of a scintillating 4-1 away win over Energetik, a result that ended a run of three without a win and which reaffirmed their place as bonafide contenders.

Over their last six games, Yuri Puntus’s Torpedo have scored nine times – at an average of 1.5 goals per game – but tellingly have failed to win their last two home league games, including a 4-1 defeat by leaders’ Shakhtar.

Three weeks ago, BATE were leading the table and looked almost certain to hit the gas and pull away from the chasing pack, but it didn’t happen. Instead, they hit a three-game blip that saw Shakhtar overtake them at the top of the table, but they did arrest this bad run last weekend with an emphatic 6-0 win over FC Minsk. They also have a very good away record and have not been beaten in their last seven away league games.

But, while the obvious bet here is for the BATE win here, let’s not forget Torpedo have lost only five games all season and come into this off the back of a fine win. Therefore the value bet is the draw.

Pick: Torpedo and BATE to draw (+290)

Pick 2: Neman Grodno vs Dinamo Minsk

It’s third versus fourth at the Neman Stadium on Saturday, with Grodno facing Dinamo Minsk as both look to close the gap on Shakhtar and BATE. A defeat for either and they risk losing touch at this critical stage of the season.

Neman, whose run of six straight wins was interrupted by two draws –  against Shakhtar and Vitebsk – bounced back last week with a narrow win over lowly Belshina; another result based on their miserly defense which hasn’t conceded a goal in six games! They are also five unbeaten at home.

A defeat here for Dinamo would mean Neman opening up a seven-point gap, so this is really one they dare not lose, but they haven’t won on the road for two games. They do though have an away win at BATE to draw confidence from and won’t be phased by Neman’s form, especially after heading into this off the back of a 1-0 over Gorodeya.

Everything points to this being a low-scoring one but Dinamo will be going all out for the win, which in turn plays into Neman’s hands. An early goal for the home team could be enough as they’re more than capable of seeing out a 1-0. For me that’s where the value is.

Pick: Neman to win 1-0 (+650)

Pick 3: FK Slutsk vs Shakhtar Soligorsk

Leaders Shakhtar travel to the Gorodskoi Stadium on Friday looking to keep the pressure on BATE. Their 4-0 win over Smolevichy was about as comfortable as they come and they look in great shape ahead of this one.

Shakhtar’s surge to the top of the table has been built upon a rock-solid defense and, to date, they have conceded only nine goals in their 19 games, and also worth noting is that they haven’t lost a league game since April 14.

Slutsk, by contrast, have had a rough time after what had been a flying start to the season and now find themselves down in 12th. A miserable run of one win in 11 tells the story and a routine 2-0 away defeat last weekend by Vitebsk was reflective of another lame performance.

So, let’s not even consider anything other than a Shakhtar victory while ignoring the -420 on offer for the away win. For me, there’s some value in the +162 on offer for ‘Over’ 3.5 goals

Pick: Over 3.5 goals (+162)