Early Belarusian top-flight leaders Energetik-BGU will be looking to extend their perfect start to the season when they face Torpedo BelAZ on Saturday.
Vladimir Belyavski's side have won three games from three so far, whereas Torpedo saw their own 100% start ended last time out.
Match preview
© Reuters
At this stage of the 2018-19 season, Energetik had only one point to their name and were still looking for their first goal of the campaign, so they have been flying in comparison this time around.
Saturday's visitors have the joint-best attacking record and joint-best defensive record from their opening three games, and are the only team still with an unblemished copybook.
These are still early days, of course, but a season-opening triumph over BATE Borisov, who were champions for 13 years in a row before finishing second last term, certainly suggests that Energetik could be a force to be reckoned with.
Should that be the case then it would be a remarkable rise for the club, who only won promotion back to the top flight in 2018, ending a 14-year absence from the big time.
Including the end of last season Energetik are now unbeaten in their last eight league games, winning six of those, and another victory on Saturday would extend their all-time club record of successive top-flight triumphs to five.
It would also see them record successive away wins in the top division for the first time, although they will be wary of a Torpedo side that has also made a solid start to the campaign.
Manager Yuri Puntus won just two of his eight games in charge at the end of last season but has already equalled that tally in three games this term, beating Shakhtyor and Belshina before losing to Dinamo Minsk last time out.
The Belshina triumph is their only home outing of the campaign so far, but they will retain confidence from their record in front of their own fans at the end of last term and they go into Saturday's match with only two defeats in their last 11 league games at home.
Torpedo BelAZ form: WWL
Energetik-BGU form: WWW
Head To Head
Energetik's victory over Torpedo in the last meeting between the two sides was their first since 2003, launching a late comeback to win 2-1 in November.
Torpedo have not beaten Energetik in the league since 2004 either, though, with the three meetings before the most recent one all ending in draws.
We say: Torpedo 1-2 Energetik
Energetik are a team in good form at the moment and we are backing them to continue their early-season momentum for at least another week. Whether it lasts deep into the campaign remains to be seen, but right now they will be confident of beating anyone.
Barney Corkhill
