Opening day losers go head-to-head in Mozyr
Two sides coming off 3-1 opening day defeats go head-to-head in the Belarusian Premier League this Saturday at midday. Former Champions League outfit and 2018/19 domestic runners up BATE Borisov travel to last season’s eighth placed finishers Slavia Mozyr, it will be their first home match of the campaign. With a point to prove for both sides this is set up nicely for neutral viewing.
Opening day
Mozyr were defeated at Slutsk after somewhat of a second half capitulation. Andrey Chukhley gave them the lead from the spot on 30 minutes, with Soslan Takulov equalising on the brink of half time also from 12 yards, Mozyr gave away a further three penalties, saving the first two only for the rebound to be tapped in the second time and the fourth converted conventionally. Mihail Martsinovich will have been putting the defensive contingent through their paces this week after that horror show.
The tale was a similar one for Borisov, who could not start as well as Mozyr, going into half time two goals down. Maksim Skavysh halved the deficit on 66 minutes, but the comeback was not completed with Montenegran midfielder Dusan Bakic sealing the three points two minutes from time. An impressive scalp for Energetik-BGU who ended last campaign a mere three points above the relegation places.
Ones to watch
Club legend Igor Stasevich will be eager to get up and running as one of the experienced heads of the team. An ever reliable creator for BATE the 34-year-old managed 22 goal involvements in 28 appearances last term, he is versatile but usually deployed as a wide midfielder, the Belarus national team captain has amassed 383 games for BATE, I would expect him to lead by example in this matchup.
Stanislav Dragun is the other joker in the hand of gaffer Kirill Alshevsky, a box to box midfielder with 11 goals in 66 caps for Belarus, the 31-year-old is the driving force in the middle of the park. His productivity in an attacking sense is incredible for a player who has spent much of his career as a more defensive asset. He scored 14 times in the league last season, chipping in with six assists as Borisov missed out on the title by five points.
Both sides will be determined to recover from the opening day losses but BATE’s experience and class will shine through.
Post bet chat Marcus's Tips:
Things were looking rosy when BATE took the lead inside the first quarter of an hour but the underdogs hit back and Mozyr claimed a memorable 2-1 win.