Dinamo Minsk and Sileks meet on 9 July 2026 at the neutral Beroe Stadium in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League first qualifying round tie. Minsk lead the Belarusian Premier League and bring considerably more European experience into this, whereas Sileks face a test that starts away from home in every meaningful sense and will need their 4-2-3-1 to hold shape just to stay in the tie heading into the second leg. The neutral venue theoretically levels things but Dinamo's squad depth and competitive rhythm make them the side to beat here.
Alyaksandr Shahoyka has been in charge at Dinamo Minsk since 3 January 2026, while Aleksandar Vasoski has led Sileks since late 2023 with the compact 4-2-3-1 that has become his side's identity. The two managers have never faced each other and the clubs have never met.
Dinamo Minsk have gone W W W D W across their last five matches, the kind of consistency that carries weight heading into a European qualifier. Sileks' recent record is far less reassuring at L L W L L over the same period and against a side that presses high and attacks through Bakhar, Alykulov and Malashevich in wide areas, that kind of defensive inconsistency is likely to be punished out wide.
No significant injuries or suspensions have been reported for either side, with Dinamo Minsk able to call on goalkeeper Ivan Shimakovich, attackers Evgeniy Malashevich, Karen Vardanyan, Ivan Bakhar and Gulzhigit Alykulov and midfielders Aleksandr Selyava and Maksim Shvyatsow. Sileks will lean on goalkeeper Nikola Filevski and forwards Adi Alic, Martin Mircevski and Kristijan Velinovski, though their overall depth is noticeably thinner than what Dinamo can offer.
Dinamo Minsk press high and attack through Bakhar, Alykulov and Malashevich in wide areas, with Selyava setting the tempo in midfield. Sileks have a plan for that: their 4-2-3-1 is designed to stay compact and look to hit Alic and Mircevski in behind on the counter. The real question is whether Sileks' full backs can handle Dinamo's wide players over 90 minutes, because that is where the game will most likely be decided and if Minsk's pressing forces early errors out wide, the tie could unravel quickly for the Macedonian side.
Sileks have not regularly faced this level of pressure in their domestic league and Minsk's deliveries from wide areas and set pieces could be a real problem for a defence that will be asked to contain Bakhar and Alykulov across the full 90 minutes. For Sileks, the counter is their most realistic route to a goal and keeping Minsk's wide runners honest enough to create that space is where their shape has to hold.
Sileks' compact 4-2-3-1 is built to absorb and frustrate and if their two holding midfielders can keep the space in front of the back four tight, they have a shape capable of making life difficult. Their recent form is poor and their defence tends to hold in a low block but can break down in open play, so Minsk's best approach is probably to press early and force them out of shape. Expect Minsk to threaten regularly through Bakhar and Alykulov wide and from set pieces and probably take the lead at some point but Sileks taking a point back to Kratovo looks plausible enough. 1-1.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
