Estonia and Faroe Islands will do battle for a place in the Baltic Cup final on Saturday, when they kick off their campaigns with a tie in Tallinn.
The visitors are making their first appearance as a guest in the competition, while their hosts will bid to take a step towards regaining the title they last won in the 2020 iteration.
Match preview
© Reuters
Estonia head into the 30th edition of the Baltic Cup in June with the aim of winning the title for the fifth time, having last prevailed in the postponed 2020 competition in its league format.
Heading into that iteration in the midst of an 82-year drought, the Sinisargid topped the three-nation group with a pair of victories, beating Lithuania and Latvia 1-0 and 2-1 respectively, but they were unable to reach the final in their defence in 2022 on the competition's return to a knockout format, falling short in a penalty shootout to Latvia after a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes.
Their most recent competitive action came in March with the culmination of Euro 2024 qualifying, falling short in their second chance with a 5-1 beating at the hands of Poland after enduring a dismal group campaign last year in which they managed just one point from eight outings.
That was quickly followed by a friendly with Finland, which ended in a 2-1 defeat, with Alex Tamm's second-half goal not enough to spark a comeback, before Jurgen Henn's side most recently prepared for the Baltic Cup with a friendly away at Switzerland on Tuesday, eventually succumbing to a 4-0 beating as Steven Zuber put their hosts ahead and Zeki Amdouni, Nico Elvedi and Xherdan Shaqiri added goals in the second half.
Estonia will now turn their focus to the upcoming competition and bid to make home advantage count in Tallinn with a win to progress to the final and move within a game of bringing the trophy back for a fifth time.
© Reuters
Their visitors, meanwhile, head into their maiden Baltic Cup campaign as a guest nation, having only turned out in a pair of friendlies so far this calendar year.
Faroe Islands also endured a dismal Euro 2024 qualifying campaign in their last competitive action in 2023, finishing with a goalless draw against Albania to end at the foot of their group on just two points from eight outings.
The Landslidid then returned with a pair of international friendlies in March, firstly travelling to Liechtenstein and dishing out a 4-0 beating with Paetur Petersen netting a first-half brace and Adrian Justinussen and Arnbjorn Svensson adding their names to the scoresheet after the interval in their nation's first victory since September 2022, ending a 10-game winless streak which included a run of eight straight defeats last year.
A tougher test away at Denmark then followed last time out, and Hakan Ericson's team ultimately fell short despite a valiant effort, losing 2-0 as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg opened the scoring early on and Mohamed Daramy added a second in the 52nd minute.
Before heading into the upcoming UEFA Nations League in September, Faroe Islands will now turn their focus to the Baltic Cup and bid to reach next week's final with an away win in their first ever outing in the competition on Saturday.
Team News
© Reuters
Estonia should make several changes to their starting XI from their recent friendly defeat to Switzerland, with captain Karol Mets bound to come into the defence from the outset having earned 92 international caps thus far.
They are unable to call on Ragnar Klavan at the back, though, with the former Liverpool man retiring from international football after their loss to Poland, and Mets will likely be joined by Rasmus Peetson and 21-year-old Maksim Paskotsi as a result.
At the other end of the pitch, Henri Anier should come in to lead the line having notched up 22 goals in his 94 caps, while veteran Konstantin Vassiljev continues to play a starring role at the tip of the midfield.
After being an unused substitute in their friendly defeat to Denmark last time out, Klaemint Olsen will bid to come in and lead the Faroe Islands attack from the outset in Saturday's semi-final, having netted 10 goals in his 57 caps thus far, putting him joint-top of his nation's all-time scoring charts.
There is competition up top, though, with Joan Simun Edmundsson hoping to continue as a lone striker, having managed eight goals of his own, while Adrian Justinussen should again line up on the left wing having established himself in the national team recently.
Elsewhere, Rene Joensen and Solvi Vatnhamar remain key men in the midfield, while Andrias Edmundsson and Hordur Askham should continue their partnership at the heart of a back four.
Estonia possible starting lineup:
Hein; Hussar, Peetson, Mets, Paskotsi, Pikk; Vassiljev, Poom, Ainsalu, Miller; Anier
Faroe Islands possible starting lineup:
Lamhauge; Sorensen, Askham, Edmundsson, Davidsen; Olsen, Joensen, Vatnhamar; Petersen, Olsen, Justinussen
We say: Estonia 2-1 Faroe Islands
These two nations have not met since 2011, and we see Saturday's semi-final as an intriguing contest as a result and put the teams on a relatively level playing field.
With a spot in the final on the line, the game could certainly be a cagey one, and we give a narrow edge to the Sinisargid with home advantage in Tallinn.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
