Last season's third place to find their mojo?
Two sides with three points on the board after two matches go head-to-head at Stroitel Stadium this Saturday with Shakhtyor Soligorsk playing host to Neman Grodno. Soligorsk finished third last season and in that booked their place in the first round of qualification for the Europa League, so naturally they come into this one as favourites against last term 10th best Belarusian side. These two’s results have mirrored each other in the 2020 campaign thus far, losing their opening matches 1-0 and then recovering in the following fixture with a 2-0 victory.
Last time out
Soligorsk achieved the more impressive win of the two, defeating Gorodeya with a dominant display. Yuri Kendysh missed a spot kick after 33 minutes, but they still made the 2019 seventh placed side pay in the second period thanks to goals from new signing Giorgi Diasamidze and Dmitriy Podstrelov, who put the icing on the cake in the closing exchanges.
Neman Grodno got the better of Vitebsk with second half strikes just seven minutes apart from Gegam Kadimyan and then Giorgi Kantaria from 12 yards. Pushing them up to the dizzy heights of seventh, one place above Saturday’s opponents.
Ones to watch
Former Croatia U21 international Darko Bodul led the line very well for Soligorsk in 2019, scoring eight and assisting four times in just seven appearances, the ex-Dundee United man will be hungry to break his duck in this matchup.
Another to lookout for is one of Shakhtyor’s new additions Giorgi Diasamidze. The 27-year-old is very productive attacking midfielder who got himself on the scoresheet in the win over Gorodeya and is entering his peak years, giving him a physical edge over the typically older players that make a large percentage of teams in the Belarusian Premier League.
Gegam Kadimyan has accustomed to the league impressively as well, joining Neman Grodno from Alashkert Yerevan in Armenia. The 27-year-old can play anywhere across a front three and Igor Kovalevich will be hoping his transfer market nous will be paying off with more solid performances in the coming matches. Grodno are outsiders in this match but will take a lot of confidence from the Vitebsk win as they look for their first points on the road.
2019’s third best will flex their muscle and win an entertaining encounter in Soligorsk.
Shakhtyor Soligorsk – Neman Grodno Betting Tip
Shakhtyor Soligorsk to Win + Both Teams to Score with bet365 at odds of 10/3.
Bet Shakhtyor Soligorsk to Win + Both Teams to Score on Bet365
Post bet chat Marcus's Tips:
A bit of a damp squib between two sides who have made positive starts to the season.