FC Minsk vs. Smolevichi – Belarusian Premier League, September 28, 2020

FC Minsk will have just about caught up on its missed fixtures by taking on Smolevichi for the second time in a week on Monday.

The games in hand have been kind to the capital city side and another expected three points here should allay any relegation fears.

It is going to be hard to back Smolevichi to win any of its games for the remainder of the season – and even the attractive-looking odds for the away win here are not large enough to garner any real interest. FC Minsk won convincingly against the same team just last week and a repeat result is surely the most likely outcome.

Having games in hand is usually seen as a good thing – and when the fixtures are as favorable as FC Minsk’s have been, they can be the difference between a relegation fight and a comfortable mid table finish. Minsk beat Smolevichi 4-0 away from home just last Wednesday and will be confident of a similar outcome on Monday.

The players were unable to double up in the same way in the two fixtures with Neman Grodno, but that level of opponent was much different. Smolevichi have been freefalling for at least the second half of the season and even its most positive supporter is expecting a return to the second tier now.

To be honest, it was always going to be tough for such a small club coming up to the Belarusian Premier League. It took 12 weeks to record its first win of the season, although there had been some bright spots before then. Unfortunately, just as things seemed to be turning around, off-field problems started to have an effect too.

Half the squad left for better paid contracts at some of Smolevichi’s rivals and then manager Aleksandr Brazevich resigned in an attempt to help the club financially. It has been far too hard to keep on going though – and the team has only won one game since, losing the last seven in the leagues and being dumped out of the cup by lower league opposition.

With the way that FC Minsk beat Smolevichi so easily last week, I am actually a little surprised that the odds for a home win are not even shorter for Monday’s game. Smolevichi could quite easily lose every game from now until the end of the season, so I can’t see this one ending in anything but an FC Minsk victory.