Belarusian Premier League weekend betting preview
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As other leagues begin to start up again - Germany's Bundesliga next weekend and Korea's K League this weekend - we can't forget the one that got us here. We can't forget Belarus.
When the sports world effectively shut down, the Belarusian Premier League trucked on. It fought through adversity week in and week out to give us something on which to bet. It took its time in the spotlight with remarkable aplomb, and we are forever indebted to it as a result.
The Belarusian Premier League did its part, now let's do ours. Let's see this thing out to the end because we owe it that much.
Rukh Brest (+230) at Neman Grodno (+137), Draw (+200)
No club has scored or conceded fewer goals than Rukh Brest this season: three for, three against through seven matches. A late goal last week forced a push on the total, but I'm going back to the well here. Rukh Brest play a patient, compact brand of football, and that's especially true away from home. Their four away matches have featured a whopping total of two goals, with BATE the only home team to breach their defense thus far. In attack, Rukh Brest have gone 334 minutes without scoring away from home.
It's hard to imagine a sudden attacking surge from the visitors at Stadyen Nyoman, where Neman Grodno have conceded just once through three matches. The hosts have scored in each of their three home fixtures - six goals total, to be exact - but they've yet to face such a disciplined side.
Pick: Under 2 (-120)
Belshina (+500) at Isloch (-163), Draw (+260)
Belshina sit at the bottom of the Premier League table, but there have been some positives in their play thus far. Though they're playing far too timidly at home, manager Eduard Gradoboev really takes the shackles off his side on the road, where they throw caution to the wind. That nothing-to-lose mentality has led to an exciting brand of football. Belshina are the only side to score in Grodno so far this season, and they were minutes from earning a 2-2 draw at league-leaders Slutsk before being undone by a late red card.
We should see the visitors have an honest go at it here, which will make for an entertaining contest against an Isloch side playing at home for a sixth time already this campaign. Isloch have scored in all five of their home matches thus far, netting at least twice in each of the last three. The hosts will keep that streak alive here, and I'd expect Belshina to get at least one against an Isloch defense that's conceded 11 times in the last five matches.
Pick: Over 2, 2.5 (-103)
Dinamo Minsk (+250) at Dinamo Brest (+115), Draw (+220)
The final fixture of Matchday 8 is a massive one between two sides desperate to kick-start their campaigns and build some momentum. Defending league champions Dinamo Brest are sitting mid-table with as many losses as wins through seven matches. Dinamo Minsk, who have finished top four in each of the last 12 seasons (and top three in nine of those 12 years), are now fourth from the bottom with four losses from seven matches.
A draw isn't going to do anything for either of these clubs. With both needing a signature win and three important points, I expect a wide-open, back-and-forth match between two sides capable of scoring in bunches.
Pick: Over 2, 2.5 (-108)
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.