Belarusian Premier League leaders Slutsk will be looking to maintain their position at the top of the division when they take on Energetik-BGU at the City Stadium on Friday.
The hosts have won their last three matches to climb into top spot, while Energetik ended a three-match losing run last time out to move back into fourth place.
Match preview
© Reuters
Slutsk have averaged a position of 10th since earning promotion to the top flight in 2010, making their start to this season all the more surprising.
Brest are the only side to have inflicted defeat on Vitaliy Pavlov's men this term, but they have otherwise been nearly perfect in their opening seven matches.
Last weekend's 2-1 win at Dinamo Minsk, thanks to goals from Dramane Salou and Abdoul Gafar Sirima, made it three victories on the bounce and five wins from seven games.
Slutsk now hold a two-point advantage on second place, currently occupied by Torpedo-BelAZ, and have the advantage of playing before the chasing pack this weekend.
Four points further back are Energetik, having won four of their first seven games, including a 2-0 win away at struggling Smolevichi last week.
A run of no points from three matches saw Vladimir Belyavskiy's side fall down the division, but their return to winning ways leaves them fourth and very much in title contention.
Energetik, competing at this level for the second time in 15 years, have kept a clean sheet in their last three victories, but keeping the opposition quiet will be a tough task on Friday.
Slutsk have netted 14 times in the league this term - more than any other team - scoring twice or more in five of their seven matches.
With momentum on their side, Slutsk will now be hoping to extend their lead over the sides below them in what is shaping up to be a memorable campaign.
Slutsk league form: LWDWWW
Energetik league form: WWLLLW
Head To Head
Given the fact that Energetik bounced around the second and third tiers of Belarusian football between 2006 and 2018, competitive meetings between these sides have been rare.
Slutsk were 1-0 winners when the sides last faced off 10 months ago, while last season's reverse fixture at City Stadium finished in a goalless draw.
We say: Slutsk 3-1 Energetik
Slutsk have started the season on fire and have plenty of momentum on their side after winning three on the spin. Energetik can also be pleased with their start to the season, but winning away to the early pacesetters may be too tough a task.
Daniel Lewis
