seasons, and he makes the national
team tick. Apart from a stint in Russia
with Volga Nizhny Novgorod, he has
spent the bulk of his career with
hometown club BATE Borisov, helping
them win nine domestic league titles.4
Time to be brave
Georgia boss Vladimir Weiss has an
impressive CV as an international coach,
having taken his native Slovakia to the
2010 World Cup finals – their first major
tournament – where they sensationally
defeated Italy en route to the last16.
Weiss has a tendency to be a little
conservative in his matchday planning
and game management, but this
play-off semi-final will be no place
for faint hearts.5
A Belgian boost for Georgia
The Georgians will be banking
on their Belgium-based stars, the Gent
duo of striker Giorgi Kvilitaia (currently
on loan at Anorthosis Famagusta in
Cyprus) and attacking midfielder Giorgi
Chakvetadze. Good enough to have
the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona
and Roma watching him closely, the
21-year-old Chakvetadze has a wand
for a right foot combined with bags of
vision and instinctive finery. He has one
problem – a tendency for knee injuries.Georgia v Belarus
1
The bigger picture
At a time of considerable political
and social unrest in Belarus, the
national team could be forgiven for
lacking100 per cent focus on the
sporting battle ahead. The country
is in turmoil right now, battered by
accusations of rigged presidential
elections and mass protests.
Nevertheless, football in Belarus
has withstood stern tests all year,
as the only championship in Europe
to carry on playing throughout the
coronavirus outbreak.2
Belarus’ goal drought
Georgia can take great heart from
the fact that Belarus only managed four
goals in eight Euro 2020 qualifiers.
Coach Mikhail Markhel has tried all
manner of different formulae up front
but to no avail. A possible solution might
have been 21-year-old Ilya Shkurin, the
CSKA Moscow striker who was the top
scorer in Belarus in 2019 for Energetik-
BGU Minsk, but he is refusing to play for
the national team while Alexander
Lukashenko remains president.3
Super Stasevich
Belarus are by no means a
one-man team, but they do rely
on vastly-experienced right-sided
midfielder Ihar Stasevich. The 34-year-
old skipper has been voted Belarus
Player of the Year in the last twoEURO 2020 PLAY-OFFS PREVIEW | PATH D
Experience...Georgia coach Vladimir WeissTalisman...Belarus’
Ihar Stasevich
celebrates scoring
against Northern
Ireland last year