After both played out goalless draws at the weekend, top and bottom in League C Group 3 will meet on Tuesday, as Belarus tackle Luxembourg in the UEFA Nations League.
The 'home' side - currently hosting their games behind closed doors in Hungary - are occupying a promotion place at the halfway stage; meanwhile, their visitors have just one point on the board and are yet to score a single goal.
Match preview
© Imago
Having ground out a grim 0-0 draw against Northern Ireland on Saturday night, Belarus stayed a point clear of their opponents in the Group 3 table, and therefore on course for a top-two finish next month.
Young goalkeeper Fedor Lapoukhov was forced into a string of sharp saves during the first half in Zalaegerszeg, as the Dinamo Minsk man made four crucial stops that kept Michael O'Neill's men at bay.
With five points from three games so far, Belarus have already improved on their performance in the last Nations League, during which they failed to win at all and finished rock bottom of their group, behind Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Slovakia.
Extending their wait for a first major finals appearance, the White Wings then failed to qualify for Euro 2024 - finishing just three points shy of a playoff place - but they are now halfway towards securing promotion to League B.
Spanish coach Carlos Alos, who took charge in late 2023, has seen his side keep clean sheets in each group game so far, as shortly after holding Bulgaria to a goalless draw in their opener, Belarus beat Luxembourg 1-0 last month.
Following Valeri Gromyko's late winner on that occasion, they have won all three previous Nations League matches against Tuesday's opponents without conceding a goal.
© Imago
Luxembourg have been one of Europe's most improved minnows over the past few years, gradually inching their way up the FIFA world rankings, but they have beaten Belarus just once in six meetings since 2015.
Les Lions Rouges even reached the Euro 2024 playoff semi-finals after posting a national record 17 points from 10 qualifiers, but that progress has since stalled in the 2024-25 Nations League.
A squad still overseen by long-serving coach Luc Holtz produced neither a point nor a goal last month, leaving them in distinct danger of relegation to League D.
Another lacklustre display in Bulgaria on Saturday evening - when they failed to record a single shot on target - at least got Luxembourg off the mark in Group 3, but a 0-0 draw leaves them last in the table and three points behind third-placed Northern Ireland.
The return of all-time top scorer Gerson Rodrigues, who appeared as a substitute in Plovdiv, will offer hope they can finally score; however, Holtz has highlighted his star striker's lack of fitness since moving to the Chinese second division.
Team News
© Imago
Carlos Alos should keep faith with forward duo Dmitri Antilevski and Yevgeni Shikavka despite neither finding the net in three Nations League games so far, particularly as fellow forward Ivan Bakhar has been ruled out of this month's camp by injury.
Astana midfielder Max Ebong is set to run operations in the Belarus engine room, while 21-year-old goalkeeper Fyodor Lapoukhov will most likely win his fifth senior cap after putting up a brave resistance against Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, Luxembourg boss Luc Holtz must weigh up whether to start Gerson Rodrigues, who was recalled following a disciplinary issue during last month's international period.
With the itinerant striker restricted to a cameo at the weekend, Daniel Sinani and Alessio Curci were paired up front; however, Les Lions Rouges failed to produce an attempt on target.
Elsewhere, Vincent Thill and Yvandro Borges are both sidelined by injury, while Olivier Thill and Lars Gerson were left out of the visitors' 26-man squad.
Belarus possible starting lineup:
Lapoukhov; Volkov, Palitsevich, Zabelin; Karpovich, Yablonsky, Ebong, Pyachenin; Antilevski, Shikavka, Kontsevoy
Luxembourg possible starting lineup:
Moris; Korac, Carlson, Jans; C. Martins; Bohnert, Pinto, Barreiro, Olesen; Sinani, Rodrigues
We say: Belarus 1-1 Luxembourg
A low-scoring encounter is surely in store, as the two teams have managed just one goal between them at the midpoint of their Group 3 campaigns.
Luxembourg are lacking confidence in the final third, while Belarus can be tough to break down, so the points will be shared at a near-empty ZTE Arena.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
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