Borisov Arena has become a fortress
Dundalk travel to the city of Barysaw on Wednesday night looking to become only the third team in history to leave the Borisov Arena with a victory.
BATE moved to the 13,000 seater national stadium in 2014 and it has become something of an impenetrable fortress. The Belarusian champions have yet to lose a domestic game at the venue and have won all nine of their home games this term. Indeed, their only home defeats have come in the Champions League with Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Porto recording wins in Barysaw last season.
It is a daunting task for the Lilywhites but Stephen Kenny feels that his players are more than capable of rising to the occasion, just as they did in the 2–1 win over Hajduk Split in Croatia 12 months ago.
“We will have to be tactically disciplined and understand that the reason BATE haven’t lost at home in a few years is because they have good players and they have a way of playing.
“The Borisov Arena is not as hostile or as colourful as Split but it’s still an intense stadium. There’s only 14 or 15,000 seats but it will be full and they’ll be cheering their team on. We just have to make sure we are are brave enough to play our own game.”
As well as boasting a flawless home record, BATE also have the meanest defence in Belarus. Aliaksandr Yermakovich’s side have conceded just four goals in 14 league games — three of which came in last Friday’s 5–3 win over Slavia — with Serbian Nemanja Milunovic and Belarusian international Denis Polyakov forming an impressive partnership at the heart of the back four.
Dundalk, however, have racked up 68 goals in all competitions this season and Kenny believes that his side are more than capable of returning to Ireland with a couple of priceless away goals in the bag.
“We are very good on the counter attack and that is one of our biggest strengths. When we counter attack against teams that come out and try and play against us, the likes of St Pat’s and Cork, then we can be quite devastating.
“We know we are going up a level,” he added. “BATE won’t fear us and they’ll try to put us to the sword in the first leg. They won’t want to come back to Oriel Park with the tie still alive so, from our point of view, we have to make sure we are still in it and we have to believe we can score in Belarus. We definitely have the capacity to do that.”
Kenny is refusing to look past Wednesday night but he knows that if Dundalk could advance, they will take BATE’s seeding. It is a hugely significant, and lucrative, reward that is up for grabs.
“A victory would put us in the third qualifying round as a seeded team. That would leave us one tie away from a European group stage,” he said.
“If we did get that far, there would be games all the way through to Christmas so if we get a result in Belarus here, Dundalk fans may join their local credit union,” he smiled.
