Preview
Howzit my bru! Grab a cold Castle Lager and fire up the braai because we've got a lekker Ukrainian Premier League clash coming up on Saturday morning. LNZ Cherkasy are hosting Oleksandria, and if you're looking for a banker to get your weekend started right, this is juicier than a perfectly seared steak – no vegetables in sight, just pure protein and profit!
LNZ Cherkasy are sitting pretty in 2nd place with 41 points from 19 games, just three points behind the mighty Shakhtar Donetsk. These okes have been on fire lately – seven wins from their last ten matches, including a dominant 3-0 away drubbing of Veres Rivne last weekend. They're banging in 1.6 goals per game while keeping things tighter than a boerewors casing at the back, conceding just 0.5 per game with seven clean sheets in their last ten. The only blot on their copybook was a 1-3 loss to third-placed Polessya, but apart from that, they've been more consistent than your uncle's stories at the family braai.
Now, let's talk about Oleksandria. Ai, these guys are struggling hey – they're second from bottom with only 11 points all season and just two wins to their name. In their last ten games, they've managed only one win (a 1-0 friendly against Dinamo Batumi) and a measly three goals total. That's not even one goal per beer! They've been drawing games 0-0 like it's going out of fashion – five of their last ten matches ended in goalless stalemates, including a snore-fest against Obolon'-Brovar recently. They lost their last two league games 1-0 to Shakhtar and Metalist, showing they can defend against good teams but can't score to save their lives.
The head-to-head record shows Oleksandria have had the upper hand historically with three wins to LNZ's two, including a 4-1 hiding they dished out back in September. But that was then, and this is now. LNZ have turned their home ground into a fortress, and Oleksandria have forgotten where the goal is – they've scored zero goals in their last away game and average just 0.3 per game overall. With goal expectancies sitting at 1.12 for the hosts and a paltry 0.53 for the visitors, the bookies are offering 1.57 for a home win. That's decent value considering LNZ's 70% win rate in recent weeks against a side that's won just 10% of their matches.
Key Points:
• LNZ Cherkasy are 2nd in the table with 13 wins from 19 games, scoring 16 goals in their last 10 matches
• Oleksandria are 15th with only 2 wins all season and just 3 goals in their last 10 games (0.3 per game)
• LNZ kept 7 clean sheets in their last 10 games, conceding only 0.5 goals per game on average
• Oleksandria have drawn 7 of their last 10 games, with 5 of those being 0-0 stalemates
• LNZ won their last match 3-0 away to Veres Rivne, while Oleksandria lost 0-1 to Shakhtar in their most recent league outing
Summary:
LNZ Cherkasy should have too much quality and attacking firepower for a struggling Oleksandria side that can't buy a goal. Back the home win at 1.57 – it's lekker odds for a team in serious title contention against a team that's been more defensive than a Springbok's 10-man line. Cheers!
