Shakhter Soligorsk vs Torpedo Zhodino Predictions

• Shakhtyor have won 4 of their last 6 matches.
• Torpedo have lost 5 of their last 6 matches.
• Under 2.5 goals have been scored in 4 of Shakhtyor’s last 6 matches.
• Under 2.5 goals have been scored in 3 of Torpedo’s last 4 matches.

Shakhtyor have a great record against their guests

Shakhtyor had an impressive pre-season and will be aiming to challenge for the Belarus Premier League title in 2020, a trophy they have only lifted once before in their history. Thursday’s hosts kick their campaign off at home against a Torpedo BeIAZ side that finished sixth last season but were well off the pace for the European places and will be expecting another mid-table finish this year.

Thursday’s hosts boast an excellent record against their guests, winning 31 of the duos’ last 46 encounters, and have already beaten Torpedo twice in the cup this month where both legs produced under 2.5 goals (1-0 away and 2-0 at home). Under 2.5 goals have been scored in five of the pairs’ last six meetings as well as in four of Shakhtyor’s last six outings and three of Torpedo’s last four matches, so you can see why we’re expecting a low-scoring affair this Thursday.

The form guide favours the hosts as Shakhtyor have won four of their last six matches in all competitions (including friendlies) while Torpedo have lost five of their last six matches. Thursday’s hosts have kept five clean sheets in their last six attempts and will be confident of securing another this week against a Torpedo side that have failed to score in their last four matches, which includes two defeats against Shakhtyor.

The hosts have kept plenty of clean sheets of late and their guests have struggled for goals

The visitors have only conceded more than 2-goals in two of their last six outings and the host shave only scored more than 2-goals in two of their last six games, which is why we have backed a 2-0 final scoreline for Thursday’s clash. Shakhtyor have also kept clean sheets in five of their last six matches against Torpedoand only one of those games produced over 2.5 goals, adding further weight to our prediction for a home win with under 2.5 goals being scored.

The home advantage could prove key to Thursday’s result as Torpedo have only won three of their last twenty-one trips to Shakhtyor and their most recent trip to Stadyen Budaŭnik last week ended in a 2-0 defeat thanks to a late brace from Kendysh. The hosts are the bookmakers’ favourites to win on Thursday and all of our research suggests that is the most likely outcome and the hosts’ strong defensive record coupled with the visitors poor scoring form means a clean sheet could well be on the cards for Shakhtyor as well.

We’re confident that Shakhtyor will win and under 2.5 goals will be scored in the process and we have predicted a final scoreline of 2-0. The hosts outperformed their guests last season, have been excellent in pre-season and have already beaten their guests twice this month, and we will be expecting another win for Shakhtyor on Thursday.