Belarus - Russia predictions and free betting tips [07/06/2024]

Tomorrow evening at the National Olympic Stadium Dynamo in Minsk, a friendly match between the national teams of Belarus and Russia will take place.

Belarus

The Belarus national team, under Spanish coach Carlos Alos Ferrer, faces international challenges, missing out on Euro 2024. Starting the qualifiers with 3 losses, they slightly improved later, securing a few wins and finishing 4th in their group with 12 points. Memorable victories include those against Andorra and Kosovo (twice) and a hard-fought draw with Israel and Switzerland (3:3). This year, the team played two friendlies: a goalless draw against Malta and a 0:2 loss to Montenegro. These results indicate ongoing struggles despite progress under Ferrer. Ahead of the upcoming Nations League, where Belarus will face Bulgaria, Luxembourg, and Northern Ireland in League C, they aim to fight for promotion. Success will require a significant improvement in performance to compete at a higher level.

Russia

The Russian national team continues to engage in friendlies, unable to compete in international tournaments. Under Valery Karpin's leadership, they maintain an unbeaten streak in the last 10 friendly matches. This year, Russia already secured a 4:0 victory against Serbia, thanks to an early red card and penalty. However, the planned match against Paraguay was cancelled, reducing opportunities for squad trials. In recent outings, Russia showcased strong performance. On 21 March 2024, against Serbia, goals by Anton Miranchuk (brace), Osipenko, and Sergeev secured a 4:0 win. The match against Cuba on 20 November 2023 saw an 8:0 triumph with goals from Oblyakov, Golovin, Miranchuk, Silyanov, Sobolev, Prutsev, Krivtsov, and Mostovoy.

On 16 October 2023, the match against Kenya ended 2:2, and on 12 October, Russia defeated Cameroon 1:0. Recently, Karpin has been actively rotating the squad, giving chances to newcomers and experimenting with team tactics, maintaining competitiveness in the absence of official matches.

Head-to-Head

In head-to-head history, Russia and Belarus have clashed 4 times — Russia claiming 2 wins and 2 draws. In 1999, Russia won away 2:0, and later that year, the match in Russia ended 1:1. A similar result was registered in 2002. The latest encounter was on 7 June 2015, where Russia triumphed 4:2. Aleksey Miranchuk (scored a goal) and Nikita Chernov from the current squad took part in that match.

Match Prediction: Belarus vs Russia

Russians are clear favourites. They boast a strong squad, especially in midfield and attack, with all four goalkeepers, except Lunyev, having had outstanding seasons and could become the first choice. The defence is young, but the Rostov core has been with their club coach in the national team for a while. Belarus lacks renowned players, though they now have more abroad players. I expect Karpin’s team to secure another friendly win.