BATE Borisov vs Rosenborg Predictions

After making light work of coming through the previous round, Rosenborg will be looking for another straightforward win. BATE made hard work of passing Piast, but the Belarusians are not the easiest team to pass and they’ll certainly fancy themselves to upset their Norwegian visitors.

Somewhat strangely, BATE’s best performance during the previous round came on the road rather than at Borisov Arena. On their own patch, the Belarusians struggled to get involved against Polish side Piast, as they registered just five shots, two of which hit the target, and clocked only 0.28 expected goals for. In contrast, they allowed their opponents to muster 19 shots, seven of which hit the target and 1.76 expected goals for.

On the road, BATE turned things around, as they won 1-2, posting 1.12 expected goals for and conceding 0.73, though their rather lacklustre home efforts don’t exactly bode well ahead of a game against a capable Rosenborg outfit.

Wednesday’s visitors come into this fixture off the back of two comfortable wins against Northern Irish side Linfield in the previous round. The Norwegians first recorded a routine 0-2 victory on the road, creating 1.12 expected goals for and conceding just 0.2, while they extended their lead at home, winning 4-0, creating 2.53 expected goals for and conceding only 0.15. Such performances will have filled Eirik Horneland’s men with confidence.

Borisov Arena is not an easy place to go to – BATE have lost only one of their eight home qualifiers since 2016 – but it’s not difficult to feel that the visitors have been underestimated by the early market.

For all they’re not easy to get the better of at home, BATE have only won three of their last eight home qualifiers, so they’re not exactly infallible, while they’ve only kept three clean sheets during that time. Rosenborg haven’t been great on the road in Europe in recent times, but they looked in good shape during the last round, while they come into this fixture in fine domestic form having won each of their last three. Add in the fact that the hosts were very poor at this venue during the first leg of the previous round and the visitors really do start to look overpriced. Therefore, a small play on ‘Rosenborg Draw No Bet’ offers punters a slice of value.