Belarus Premier League Matchday 26 Odds & Picks

• It’s Matchday 26 in the Belarus Premier League with games starting on Friday
• Leaders BATE and second-placed Neman Grodno are separated by just two points with five games remaining
• We list the odds for all eight games and preview three, offering our best picks

The Belarus Premier League is reaching the business end of the season, with BATE just two points ahead of Neman Grodno with five rounds of games left. With a full program taking place this weekend, one that could be pivotal to the final outcome, the stakes have never been higher.

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

Belarus Premier League Matchday 26 Odds

All odds taken Oct 15 at FanDuel

Pick 1: Isloch vs BATE Borisov

A few weeks ago, BATE appeared to be closing in on their 16th league title but two defeats in their last three games have blown the title race open. With Shakhtar also losing and dropping to third and Neman winning to go second, the scrap between the top three is well and truly alive, and now BATE’s trip to fourth-placed Isloch has turned into a massive game.

With Shakhtar having a game in hand – they’re three points behind BATE with a superior goal difference – any room for error for any of the top three has all but disappeared and worth noting too is a win this weekend for Isloch would leave them just four points behind BATE with four to play.

A run of six wins and a draw in Isloch’s last seven games have drawn them back into contention but they do concede a lot of goals and a goal difference of +4 suggests they lack the overall resolve to take the title.

While BATE starts here as favorites, Isloch are on a fine run and so will be bursting full of confidence. In addition, they have the goalscoring power (19 goals scored in their last seven games) to hurt BATE. Whether they have the defensive solidity to keep BATE is another matter, so, for me, the value here is with the draw.

Pick: Isloch and BATE to draw (+260)

Pick 2: Neman Grodno vs Gorodeya

Neman’s win in Week 25 over Torpedo was their third on the bounce and confirmation that their title challenge is back on track after a two-game blip had threatened to derail it. For most of the summer months, Neman were on a charge, making up ground on those at the top of the table after a lukewarm start to the campaign, but that hard work is now paying dividends with a genuine title chance now within their grasp. A win over 13th-placed Gorodeya could take them to the top of the table.

The visitors, for their part, have a very different battle on their hands – one of Premier League survival. A miserable run of seven games without a win has hurtled them southward and they are now level on points with FC Slutsk, in 14th, and just a single point ahead of Belshina in 15th. They not only risk dropping into the relegation playoff spot but also the automatic relegation places. They need to arrest their slide down the table and quickly.

It’s hard though to put together an argument for anything other than a Neman win. In fact, the only value here is trying to predict the home team’s margin of victory. On the basis that Gorodeya has picked up an unhealthy habit of conceding three, my money is on a three-goal margin.

Pick: Neman 3 Gorodeya 0 (+850)

Pick 3: Dinamo Brest vs Ruh Brest

It’s eighth versus sixth in the Brest derby, with local bragging rights the main incentive for victory as neither team is likely to make the top four while both are well clear of the relegation dogfight. There’s little to choose between these two with just a point separating them in the table, both with the ability to win games but not consistently enough to challenge those at the top.

In the reverse fixture, back in May, Dinamo ran out comfortable 4-1 winners, and so will certainly fancy their chances here of making it a derby-double, but there’s little value in the -125 for the home win. With Ruh having hit the net 23 times in their last eight games – the second-best record in the division – they have more than a chance here and at +260 for the away win, they offer the value.

Pick: Ruh Brest to win (+260)