Kuktosh vs. Regar-TadAZ Tursunzoda Pick – Tajik League Betting Preview, April 5th

After the Super Cup on Saturday, the Tajikistan Higher League kicks off on Sunday with three games, and Kuktosh welcomes Regar-TadAZ Tursunzoda to the Rudaki Stadium to commence its title challenge.

Neither side got anywhere near runaway league winner Istiklol last year, but Regar-TadAZ will have greater cause for optimism after managing to end up in third and being the far more successful club over the years.

I break down the odds and give my prediction in this Kuktosh vs. Regar-TadAZ betting preview which includes a free pick.

Leading bookmaker BetOnline makes Kuktosh the favorites in this opening-day fixture, but the prices for both the draw and an away win would seem to be the better value looking solely at the recent history of the two clubs.

Without a ball being kicked in the Tajikistan Higher League as yet, it is difficult to predict exactly how the first games of the season will go. But Kuktosh only just escaped the relegation playoffs at the end of last season thanks to some positive results at the end of the campaign.

Regar-TadAZ enjoyed a much better season and might have finished second if it wasn’t for some draws in the final two games of the year — one against Kuktosh. A less than airtight defense also seemed to be a problem for the team, and manager Uktam Sattorov has brought in a few new players at the back in order to stop a repeat of that happening this year.

The away side is the better team on paper, but as we have seen in other leagues across the world over the last few weeks, opening-day fixtures can sometimes throw up a few surprises.

With no previous games to go on this season, it looks as though the odds for a Regar-TadAZ win are better value, and this is a team that has achieved far more than Kuktosh over the years. There may not be a chance to catch Istiklol at the top of the table, but a win in the first game of the season would give it a fighting chance of staying involved.

There are two other games in the Tajikstan Higher League this weekend, and I’ve written betting previews for both of them, too. Here are they are.