Dinamo Minsk vs Hearts Prediction: Take 15/8 Minsk to wreck Hearts’ trek

Hearts face a 7,000-mile round trip to Azerbaijan to kick off their UEFA Conference League league stage campaign against Belarus champions Dinamo Minsk on Thursday (17:45, live on TNT Sports 3).

Dinamo must host "home" European ties outside Belarus and behind closed doors, with this fixture being staged at the Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium in the Azeri city of Sumgayit. Read on for my Dinamo Minsk vs Hearts prediction, as well as team news and match odds.

Football Odds

Team News

Dinamo Minsk are without Belarus international striker Ivan Bakhar, who was injured in his country's 1-0 win in Luxembourg a month ago.

Young striker Maksim Budko has replaced Bakhar in the Minsk squad, but is not registered for Europe.

Hearts must do without Costa Rica international full-back Gerald Taylor, who has suffered a serious knee injury. Either Adam Forrester or Daniel Ayegoke will slot in at right-back.

Central midfielder Calem Nieuwenhof out since March, has returned to training but won't be involved.

Dinamo Minsk vs Hearts Odds

Dinamo Minsk are 15/8 to win this Conference League league stage opener against a Hearts side who are available at 7/5. The draw is just 21/10.

Dinamo have scored only five goals in the eight European ties they have played this season, Hearts none in their two. Perhaps unsurprisingly it's 8/13 Under 2.5 Goals and 4/5 both teams don't score.

Dinamo Minsk to win @ 15/8

On logistical grounds alone Hearts couldn't have picked a more problematic opening fixture to their UEFA Conference League campaign and the Edinburgh side look well worth taking on.

Dinamo Misk know the venue in Azerbaijan no better than Hearts, but haven't travelled as far, know what playing to empty stadiums feels like and are in far better domestic form.

They have also won European games this season and weren't disgraced in a pair of 1-0 losses to Anderlecht in the UEFA Europa League, the setback which saw them demoted to this competition.

A side packed with Belarus internationals and strengthened in the summer, they are well-placed to successfully defend their league title and have won four of their last five matches, all by 2-0 scorelines, suggesting they can certainly defend.

Hearts are in a real rut. Steven Naismith paid the price for a winless start to term with his job leaving Liam Fox in caretaker charge of a side who will surely see Sunday's trip to Aberdeen as far more important.

They are without a win in 10 games this season and hard to fancy at a relatively short price.

Dinamo Minsk most corners @ 13/10

Dinamo averaged 4.75 corners per game in their four Champions League ties this season and 4.5 in their four Europa League ties.

Hearts won just six corners (three per game) in their two 1-0 defeats at the hands of Viktoria Plzen in their short-lived Europa League campaign.

This may be on neutral territory, but Dinamo have to see this as a home game with a trio of tough away games to come, so ought to be positive.

The corners matchbet, like the match price as well, might just be the wrong way round with the Belarusians preferred at 13/10.

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