Dinamo Minsk hoping to end their struggles
Dinamo Minsk fell to defeat last weekend against city rivals FC Minsk. Can last season’s fourth best side bounce back against Torpedo-BeLAZ? Have a read of our preview here:
Dinamo undone in first-half
Dinamo Minsk went into the derby against FC Minsk last weekend hoping to bounce back from a shock defeat against newly-promoted Rukh Brest the week before.
The derby was about as far from a remedy as they could have hoped for. The first half display was abysmal and, despite being supported by a vociferous away following, they were 3-0 down by half-time thanks to some comical defending.
Manager Sergei Gurenko clearly laid into his charges at the break and the second 45 was a lot better but not before central defender Miha Goropevsek was given his marching orders for a second bookable offense.
Evgeni Shikavka pulled a goal back from the spot with 13 minutes remaining and Ivan Bakhar made things interesting when he netted just three minutes later to give the 10 men hope, but in the end the poor showing before the break made the mountain too steep to climb.
This Friday they really need a result after two straight defeats to open the campaign but a better start would go a long way to help them.
Torpedo looking for dream start
Torpedo-BeLAZ Zhodino have made the perfect start to the new campaign, winning both matches 1-0 meaning they have bagged maximum points and are yet to concede a goal.
They will be delighted with that effort after a Valeriy Gorbachik netted the winner against Belshina last weekend in another hard-fought game.
Yuri Puntus’ side finished a very creditable sixth last season and they will be hoping to build on that this year. Beating Dinamo Minsk will be a clear sign of the improvements they have made during the offseason and give them a lot of confidence moving forward.
Dinamo Minsk vs Torpedo-BeLAZ betting tip
The defeat in the derby last weekend highlighted how much work Dinamo need to do especially defensively. You can expect them to be a lot tighter at the back this week but there is real value in backing double chance Torpedo-BeLAZ to win or draw at odds of 8/11 with Betfair.
Post bet chat James's Tips:
Dinamo Minsk picked a huge three points in a 2-0 win