Will Minsk stumble again against the Eagles?

Dinamo Minsk and Ludogorez Rasgrad faced each other in the Champions League qualification round a year ago. Back then, a 2-0 away win was enough for the Bulgarians to advance. This time, however, the Eagles only won the first leg 1-0 at home. So if Dinamo Minsk vs. Ludogorez Rasgrad goes according to plan and the Belarusians win 1-0 again in the second leg, the tie will go into extra time.

A turnaround by the hosts cannot be ruled out, although it must be noted that the players from the Belarusian capital have had very little to show for themselves internationally recently. When Dinamo Minsk take on Ludogorez Rasgrad, the forecast must take into account that the Blue and Whites have lost nine of their last ten European competitive games (one win). The only exception was a 2-0 home win against Northern Irish underdogs Larne in last year’s Conference League group stage.

However, Ludogorez Rasgrad has not exactly covered itself in glory recently either. The Eagles are untouchable in Bulgaria, but in the Europa League group stage last season, the green and whites finished fourth from bottom with only four points from a possible 24. The 1-0 win against Dinamo Minsk marked the end of an eight-game winless streak in European competition (four draws, four defeats).

Dinamo Minsk – Statistics & current form

FK Dinamo Minsk has a long tradition, but has increasingly faded into insignificance in the new millennium. However, since 2023, when they finally won the championship again after 19 years, things have been looking up. In 2024, the Blue and Whites successfully defended their championship title for the first time in 29 years, earning them a place in the Champions League qualifiers once again.

A year ago, their journey ended in the second round against today’s opponents Ludogorez Rasgrad, before they were relegated to the Europa League qualifiers, where RSC Anderlecht ultimately proved too strong. The Belarusians also picked up just three points in the Conference League group stage. With the exception of a 2-0 win against Northern Irish side Larne, all other games were lost. This means that they have now lost nine of their last ten international competitive games (one win).

Dinamo Minsk goes into the second leg in poor form

Dinamo Minsk are now under a cloud of bad luck against Ludogorez Rasgrad, and it is unlikely that coach Vadim Skripchenko’s men will be able to turn things around, especially as they have suffered several setbacks in the 2025 season, which already started in March in Belarus. The capital club has lost three of its last four league games (one win), leaving it in fourth place, ten points behind newly promoted and surprise leaders ML Vitebsk.

In order to focus fully on the Champions League qualifiers, the Belarusian Cup match was postponed at the weekend. However, given that Minsk do not have a real home game due to the global political situation and have to play on neutral ground in Hungary, there is little to suggest a turnaround given their poor form with four defeats in their last five competitive games (one win).

Predicted line-up for Dinamo Minsk:
Shpakovskiy – Ibrahim, Gavrilovich, Begunov, Pigas – Malashevich, Kalinin, Miakish, Bakhar – Djimet, Bakic

Ludogorez Rasgrad – Statistics & current form

PFK Ludogorez Rasgrad has only been in existence since 2001, but has since become the absolute benchmark in Bulgaria. Since the Eagles won their first league title in the 2011/12 season, there has never been another national champion. This summer, they won their 14th league title. The cup victory was even the fourth double in the club’s short history.

The Green-Whites have also made it to the main round of the UEFA Champions League twice. The up-and-coming club from northeastern Bulgaria has already played 162 European competitive games, winning 57 of them (41 draws, 64 defeats). However, last season at least did not go too well internationally. After missing out on Champions League qualification with a 2-7 home defeat to Qarabag Agdam, the Eagles did advance to the group stage of the Europa League, but remained winless in all eight games (four draws, four defeats).

Ludogorez Rasgrad impresses above all defensively

With a 1-0 home win against the Belarusians, which also marked the competitive debut of new coach Rui Mota, the course has already been set for clearing the very first hurdle. If the betting companies are to be believed, the second leg seems to be a mere formality, as Interwetten, where an Interwetten freebet can currently be claimed, is offering odds of just 1.70 on Dinamo Minsk beating Ludogorez Rasgrad in the return leg in Hungary.

However, it should not be forgotten that the Bulgarian serial champions have not only failed to win any of their last four international away games (three draws, one defeat), but have also scored only one goal in that period. But: The Eagles are quite adept at parking the bus in front of their opponents’ penalty area. The Bulgarians have kept a clean sheet in three of their last eight European competitive games. They have scored more than two goals in only two of their last nine international matches.

Predicted line-up for Ludogorez Rasgrad:
Padt – Nedyalkov, Kurtulus, Almeida, Son – Camara, Piotrowski, Kaloc – Tekpetey – Vidal, Marcus

Dinamo Minsk – Ludogorez Rasgrad Head-to-head record

Head to head: 1 – 0 – 2

The two teams already faced each other in the Champions League qualifiers in the 2024/25 season. Ludogorez Rasgrad won the first leg in Bulgaria 2–0, meaning that a 0–1 defeat in the second leg sealed their progress. This time, the Eagles secured a 1–0 home win, putting them ahead in the head-to-head comparison.

Dinamo Minsk – Ludogorez Rasgrad Tip

The top bookmakers are clearly favoring the visitors in the match between Dinamo Minsk and Ludogorez Rasgrad. However, we don’t think this is a bet worth taking. Not only did the Bulgarians lose their away game against the Belarusians 0-1 last year, but they are not under any pressure to win. A 0-0 draw would be enough for the Green-Whites, which is why we expect them to take a defensive approach and focus on counterattacks.

The prediction for Dinamo Minsk against Ludogorez Rasgrad is similarly consistent, with not too many goals expected on neutral ground in Hungary at the Municipal Stadium Mezőkövesd. So far, none of the three international competitive matches between the two clubs have seen more than two goals.