Greece will take on Belarus in a World Cup qualifier on Friday, 5 August, as both teams look to get their campaigns off and running with three points.
Greece are looking to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2014, while Belarus are hoping to qualify for the tournament for the first time in their history.
As part of this week's round of World Cup qualifying betting tips, check out our Greece vs Belarus prediction below.
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Greece vs Belarus prediction: A comfortable night for Greece
Key Stats
- Greece have won their last three matches by a combined margin of ten goals.
- Belarus lost their most recent away match by a margin of three goals.
- Greece have kept a clean sheet in four of their last five victories.
Correct score prediction: Greece 3-0 Belarus
Greece are placed nearly 60 spaces higher than Belarus in the FIFA World Rankings, and they should flex their muscles on Friday night after a string of impressive displays. They nearly beat England to top spot in their most recent Nations League group, and they look in the best shape they have been in for decades.
Pre-game odds and win probability: The hosts are big favourites
- HOME: 1/5 (1.20) – 83.3%
- DRAW: 11/2 (6.50) – 15.4%
- AWAY: 14/1 (15.00) – 6.7%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
The Greece vs Belarus odds are what you'd expect considering Greece are ranked 39th in the world and Belarus are ranked 97th. Ladbrokes have made Greece the heavy favourites, giving them an 83.3% chance of winning the match, while Belarus have been given just a 6.7% chance of victory.
You can find all our predictions for today's games on our football betting tips page.
Most recent H2Hs: A first meeting in ten years
Greece and Belarus haven't played against each other since 2016, and the two squads have changed considerably since then. Therefore, there isn't much value in analysing the recent H2H, with respect to predicting what might happen on Friday. For what it's worth, Belarus did win their last match against Greece 1-0.
International Match 09/11/16
Greece
Belarus
Greece preview: A consistent squad
Greece have found a winning formula in recent international breaks and Ivan Jovanovic seems to be keen to not change too much as he has stuck with largely the same group of players that he picked in June. One notable absentee is Augsburg left-back Dimitris Giannoulis, but fortunately for Greece, they are well equipped in this area with Kostas Tsimikas in the squad.
Predicted lineup: Tzolakis (GK), Rota, Mavropanos, Hatzidiakos, Tsimikas, Siopis, Mouzakitis, Masouras, Bakasetas, Pelkas, Pavlidis
Last five matches
- Greece 4-0 Bulgaria
- Greece 4-1 Slovakia
- Scotland 0-3 Greece
- Greece 0-1 Scotland
- Finland 0-2 Greece
Belarus preview: Nothing to lose
As the underdogs, Belarus have nothing to lose on Friday and could benefit from that freedom. If they are to pull off a shock result, they will have to do so without Maxim Kireev, who has been ruled out with an injury.
Predicted lineup: Lapoukhov (GK), Pigas, Martynovich, Parkhomenko, Zabelin, Pechenin, Gromyko, Yablonski, Ebong, Korzun, Melnichenko
Last five matches
- Belarus 1-4 Russia
- Belarus 4-1 Kazakhstan
- Azerbaijan 0-2 Belarus
- Tajikistan 0-5 Belarus
- Bulgaria 1-1 Belarus
Player to watch: Vangelis Pavlidis
Vangelis Pavlidis had a great debut campaign with Benfica, scoring 29 goals in all competitions for his new club. The second season is often harder than the first so it will be interesting to see how he gets on this time around. On the international stage, Pavlidis is expected to do more now that he is a fully-fledged striker in one of Europe's best leagues.