Regar-TadAZ vs. Istaravshan Odds, Prediction, and Pick – Tajikistan Higher League, April 18

Two sides that were not expected to be struggling meet on Saturday without a single win between them after two rounds of play.

Regar-TadAZ may not be the team it was in the early 2000s, but it has not performed nearly well enough so far and will be looking to take all three points from League Cup winners Istaravshan.

Both these teams have started badly, but BetOnline obviously feels that it is more of a momentary blip in Regar-TadAZ’s case. The odds for a home win seem short given its results so far and especially in relation to those offered for an Istaravshan victory. I would have expected these odds to be much closer.

Regar-TadAZ was surprised by Fayzkand’s tenacity and determination at the weekend as it fell behind towards the end of their game after briefly taking the lead. That came after the surprise draw with Kuktosh on the opening day, and it is probably the case that manager Uktam Sattarov will be expecting more from his players.

Tajikistan international midfielder Nozim Bobojonov has not been as influential as it was thought he would be so far. But if he can start creating chances here, then Regar-TadAZ may be able to pick up its first win of the campaign.

Istaravshan will obviously have something to say about that, but the 3-0 defeat to Kuktosh on Saturday was poor even considering the team had to play with ten men after Nasim Rasulov was sent off for an off-the-ball incident. That left Istaravshan on zero points after two games — not something many would have thought would happen after the club won the League Cup in pre-season.

The Istaravshan players will need to regroup now and try to pick up at least a point against another team that is desperate to get its season started.

I don’t think Regar-TadAZ will spend too much time around the bottom of the league this season, and this game would seem ideal for it to start putting together a few results. There should be enough talent to see off Istaravshan without too much trouble, and hopefully, that will provide some much-needed confidence ahead of the next two fixtures against Khujand and Istiklol.