BATE Borisov is off to the best start imaginable after a pair of 3-1 wins to start their UCL campaign. With a group that included Bayern Munich, Valencia, and the surprising Lille, no one would have seen this team as one of the major candidates to get out of the group stage; much less win it. While it is too early to proclaim the latter, the Belarusians are in a prime position to fulfill the former.
As the table in the Belarusian League stands, this team is already in position to book next year's second round of qualifiers as they have 18 wins in 25 points and their 58 points have them with a 7 point cushion in first. Renan Bressan and Dzmitry Mazalewski both lead the team with 8 goals scored, but only Bressan has registered a tally in the UCL. Instead, Vitali Rodionov has been the hero with two goals in UCL play; one in each game. The 3-1 win over Lille in France was well-earned as the team ran out to a 3-0 lead before half. But the second win, a clutch 3-1 win over Bayern at home was shocking. The team ran out to a 1-0 lead in the first half and would not score until the 78th. The reason was that Munich was dominating play and creating chances. The fact that BATE's defense held up so well is a testament to their defensive cohesion. They added a second goal in the 78th and then stoppage finally saw a Munich goal. But Bressan added a last second tally to deliver the win. They get another shot at home against Valencia who has 3 points and will look to open up a 3 way tie for first if they win and Munich wins.
Meanwhile Valencia had the tough luck of drawing Munich in Germany for their first UCL match. They lost that one 2-1, but were redeemed with an inspiring 2-0 win over Lille at home with Jonas registering both tallies. Last year's third place La Liga squad is off to a dreadful start with just three wins in eight games and they currently sit in 9th place on the table with just 11 points. Roberto Soldado and Sofiane Feghouli lead the team with 3 goals but have yet to score in the UCL.
Prediction: BATE and Valencia draw 2-2.
Start Time: 2:45 p.m. EDT
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