Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the UEFA Conference League match.
The Belarusian team last appeared in the group stage of a European competition five years ago, and now Dinamo Minsk have a decent chance to secure a win against Hearts in the first leg of the Conference League. The Scottish side recently changed their coaching staff following a series of unsatisfactory results, and Dinamo Minsk are poised to take advantage of their opponent's morale.
Dinamo Minsk
Since returning to domestic competition, Dinamo Minsk have claimed four victories in five rounds, taking the lead in terms of lost points in the Belarusian Premier League. The team has shifted to a comfortable points-gathering mode—not once has the total over 2.5 been surpassed in these matches, and all four wins were clean sheets. It's worth noting that Dinamo Minsk are accustomed to playing their European home fixtures on neutral grounds; they only slipped up once against RSC Anderlecht (0:1) in four qualifying matches.
Hearts
In nine outings under Steven Naismith, Hearts suffered eight defeats, drawing only with Rangers (0:0) in the first round of the league. Hearts also failed in the Europa League play-off, losing to Viktoria Plzeň twice (both 0:1). Even after the coaching change, they drew with Ross County (1:1), leaving them at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership with just four goals scored (the worst record).
Dinamo Minsk vs Hearts Prediction
Bookmakers give nominally more chances to the visitors in Sumgayit. However, we favour a bet on Dinamo Minsk, as they are in excellent form, in stark contrast to their opponents.
