The 2018/19 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round continues on Wednesday night with several fixtures to enjoy. One of the standout matches is between BATE Borisov of Belarus and HJK Helsinki of Finland.
Both teams come into this tie as the champions of their respective leagues and look on course to retain their title this season. Interestingly, BATE Borisov are the only Belarusian team to play in the Champions league group stages and HJK Helsinki are the only team from Finland to achieve the same feat
BATE Borisov come into this match comfortably sitting top of the Belarusian Premier League. Having played seventeen matches, they are 7 points clear of their closest opponents and are on course for yet another domestic title. BATE Borisov have won the Belarusian title in each of the last twelve seasons.
Recent form has been good and BATE Borisov have won eight and drawn one of their last nine games. They have won their last five matches in a row and will be full of confidence ahead of this match.
BATE Borisov are undefeated in their last five home games, winning three of them. The Belarusian champions have won eight of their last nine Champions league victories by just a single goal.
Much like their hosts, HJK Helsinki are sitting pretty at the top of their domestic league. They have played twenty games and have 45 points to their name, 7 points more than their closest challengers, RoPS.
HJK Helsinki have already played one tie in the Champions league this season, against Vikingur of the Faroe Islands. The Finnish champions came through, winning the away leg 2-1 before completing the job on home soil with a 3-1 victory.
However, the win at Vikingur was HJK Helsinki’s first away win in their last four games and they have won two of their last five on the road in all competitions. There have been over 2.5 goals in each of HJK Helsinki’s last three away matches.
Looking ahead to the team news and BATE Borisov should be at full strength for this game. The are expected to start with Nikolay Signevich up-front and top scorer, Mirko Ivani in midfield.
HJK Helsinki have doubts over the fitness of Akseli Pelvas and the forward is expected to miss out. Brazilian striker Klauss is their top goal scorer this season and he is expected to the lead the line but Filip Valencic is also pushing for a place in attack.
BATE Borisov have plenty of experience in the Champions League and that could hand them the advantage in this game. However, when they win in the Champions League it is usually by a narrow margin and it would not be a surprise to see them win this match by just a single goal.