Wednesday, June 11

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Sports Mole previews Tuesday's International Friendlies clash between Belarus and Russia, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

In preparation for their World Cup qualifying matches in September, Belarus will host Russia at the National Football Stadium of Belarus on Tuesday.

The White Wings will be hoping to make it four wins on the bounce this week, while Sbornaya could extend their unbeaten streak to 13 games.

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Match preview

Carlos Alos's Belarus may have finished third in their Nations League group, but they were only beaten once across their six matches, and having won their three friendlies since, they are gaining momentum ahead of their World Cup qualifying games later this year.

On Thursday, the White Wings put on a dominant display in a 4-1 victory over Kazakhstan, a clash in which they took a 3-0 lead, and the manager will have been pleased to see his team maintain their motivation enough to restore their three-goal advantage five minutes from time.

That being said, the level of opposition that Alos's side have faced in 2025 pales in comparison to their upcoming Group C opponents Denmark, Greece and Scotland, and Russia will be their toughest test yet as they build up to autumn's qualifiers.

With this in mind, the hosts will lean on their home record that features a four-game unbeaten run ahead of this week, though having won just one of their last six on the road, they may have to settle for a draw.

However, Belarus could be motivated by the chance to take revenge against their visitors, who beat them 4-0 in June last year.

Meanwhile, Valery Karpin's Russia are not participating in the World Cup or Nations League due to the ban issued by FIFA and UEFA, but they have performed well in friendlies, winning seven and drawing one of their eight matches since the start of 2024.

This past Friday, Sbornaya were held to a 1-1 draw by Nigeria, and the boss will be concerned that his team only took the lead in the first half courtesy of an own goal from Semi Ajayi, and that they were unable to find the back of the net themselves.

That stalemate represented the first time since December 2023 that Karpin's men failed to emerge victorious, and along with his side keeping eight consecutive clean sheets in the interim, that fact suggests that they have been up against a number of lacklustre opponents in recent years.

As the visitors look to get back to winning ways in midweek, they could be affected by their limited experience on the road considering that they have played just nine away games since 2021, though it is notable that they thrashed Belarus on their travels 12 months ago.

Belarus International Friendlies form:

Belarus form (all competitions):

Russia International Friendlies form:

Russia form (all competitions):

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Team News

Belarus manager Alos should start Yevgeniy Shikavka and Trofim Melnichenko after the strikers both scored against Kazakhstan last time out.

Likewise, midfielders Valeriy Gromyko and Valeri Bocherov, who both also netted on Thursday, should join Nikita Korzun and Max Ebong in the centre of the park.

As for Russia, Maksim Glushenkov and Andrey Mostovoy will start on the flanks, looking to support centre-forward Nikolay Komlichenko up top.

Viktor Melekhin and Maksim Osipenko will operate at the heart of Karpin's backline, with full-backs Ilya Vakhaniya and Danil Krugovoi either side of them.

Belarus possible starting lineup:

Pavlyuchenko; Karpovich, Martynovich, Zabelin, Pryshchepa; Korzun, Bocherov, Ebong; Gromyko; Shikavka, Melnichenko 

Russia possible starting lineup:

Safonov; Vakhaniya, Melekhin, Osipenko, Krugovoi; Glebov; Glushenkov, Batrakov, Miranchuk, Mostovoy; Komlichenko

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We say: Belarus 2-2 Russia

 

Belarus are in good form having won three on the bounce ahead of this clash, and they will be expecting a positive result this week.

Additionally, while Russia have also been in winning form over the past 18 months, their away record is significantly lacking, and they could be held to another draw on Tuesday.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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