Belarus Premier League Odds & Picks Matchday 8

• Soccer in Belarus continues and this week it’s Matchday 8 in their Premier League with games starting on Friday
• Leaders Slutsksakhar Slutsk entertain  Energetyk-BDU in the game of the weekend
• We list the odds for all eight games and preview three, offering our best picks

Amidst the worldwide chaos and lockdowns, the Belarus Premier League continues. With still only a relatively small number of COVID-19 cases, the Belarus FA has insisted upon business-as-usual and are now up to Matchday 8.

As always, we’ll list the odds for all of the weekend’s games and pick out three of the top games to preview and offer some picks.

Belarus Premier League Matchday 8 Odds

All odds taken May 7.

Pick 1: Slutsksakhar Slutsk vs Energetyk-BDU

Leaders Slutsk host Energetyk at City Stadium on Friday and will be confident of maintaining their lead with the visitors on an indifferent run of form on the road.

Slutsk are now two points clear at the top of the league, having won three in a row, and last time out won 2-1 away at Dinamo Minsk, with goals from Dramane Salou and Abdoul Gafar. Overall, they have won seven of their last nine league games, but worth noting is that they have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last eight.

Energetyk got their season off to a flier and won their first three games—against BATE, Ruh Brest and FC Minsk – but then lost three on the spin against Torpedo, Gorodeya and Neman Grodno without scoring a single goal. For the Students, the season has been the epitome of a rollercoaster.

Slutsk and Energetyk have only played four times, with the home side enjoying a 2-0 advantage, with the other two games being drawn. Last season, this fixture ended 0-0 last season, with Slutsk winning 1-0 in Minsk. Worthy of note too is that Energetyk have lost by two or more goals in their last two away games, and have failed to score in three of their last four. Their early season momentum has well and truly disappeared.

So, it’s hard to make a case here for an away win here, especially with Slutsk on a roll. The big bonus is that the league leaders are in plus-money, so, for me, that’s where the value lies.

Pick: Slutsk to win  (+127)

Pick 2: Slavia Mozyr vs Torpedo BelAZ

Slavia host Torpedo at the Yunost Stadium this weekend as second meets seventh.

The hosts have been battling on two fronts – league and cup – and this partly accounts for their up-and-down campaign so far. Their highs, like beating BATE in both competitions have been matched by some lows in the league and they find themselves down in seventh on ten points. Their most recent outing was a 3-2 win at Vitebsk.

Torpedo, meanwhile, are having a good campaign and are currently second. Yuri Puntus’ team have been consistent without being spectacular and have only lost one of their seven, winning four and drawing twice. Last weekend they won 5-2 at FC Minsk, having drawn their previous two. It’s worth noting that they’ve conceded only four goals so far.

Torpedo’s miserly defense gives them a chance in every game they play but they’ll be tested against a Slavia team that both concedes and scores plenty. The value here is with the draw at +217.

My picks: Slavia and Torpedo to draw (+217)

Pick 3: Neman Grodno vs Ruh Brest

The Neman Stadium plays host to Grodno vs Ruh Brest on Saturday with both teams hoping to lift themselves out of the bottom half of the table. Neman’s home form, despite their league position (they are 13th), has been okay and includes an emphatic 3-0 win over Energetyk.

So, Neman will be confident of getting a result here, especially against a Ruh Brest team that has only won twice and has scored just three goals all season. They do, however, have a solid defense. But with Neman undefeated in ten of their last 12 home games, they are favorites here for a reason, albeit in plus-money, and for that reason, the home win is the value bet.

My pick: Neman to win (+143)