Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
One of the matches of the 30th round of the Ukrainian Championship will take place on Friday at Obolon Arena in Kyiv, where the local Obolon side will face Levyi Bereh. I’m offering a bet on the outcome of this encounter with solid chances for success.
Match preview
Obolon created problems for themselves at the tail end of the championship, failing to beat LNZ Cherkasy at home (0:0) or even snatch a point away against Kryvbas in the previous round. Conceding in the 47th minute, the Kyiv side couldn’t find a way through their opponents and ultimately lost 0:1.
As a result, after 29 matches, Obolon have 29 points, which puts them in 12th place in the standings. However, both Vorskla and Levyi Bereh trail by just three or fewer points. A home defeat to Levyi Bereh would guarantee Obolon drops into the relegation playoff zone.
For their part, Levyi Bereh hosted Rukh in the last round and clinched a narrow 1:0 victory. The winning goal was scored by Dmytro Shastal in the 15th minute.
This win snapped an eight-match winless streak in the league, during which Levyi Bereh managed only one draw and suffered seven defeats. Despite a dreadful second half of the season, these three points allow Levyi Bereh to realistically hope for top-flight survival.
Probable lineups
- Obolon: Marchenko D., Ilyin O., Karas D., Prymak V., Dubko V., Stasyuk P., Vitenchuk V., Kurko V., Chernenko R., Ustymenko D., Taranukha R.
- Levyi Bereh: Mekhaniv M., Sokolov O., Yakymov A., Samar V., Sidnei, Banada E., Kosovskyi S., Diego, Kohut M., Sukhoruchko D., Shastal D.
Match facts and head-to-head
- The teams drew 1:1 in the first round
- The "Both teams to score" bet has won in two out of four matches
- The "Total over 2.5" bet has never won in the four meetings between these teams
Prediction
Bookmakers give a slight edge to the home side, offering odds around 2.47 for an Obolon victory. We believe the hosts are closer to a win, so our bet is "Obolon to win with (0) handicap" at odds of 1.60.
