Our prediction for this Nations League match:
Estonia will look to kick off their Nations League campaign in style when they host minnows San Marino to A. Le Coq Arena on Thursday. The Baltic outfit failed to impress in a two-legged tie with Cyprus, with the team failing to find the net in the double-header. The Estonians, though, will not have a better chance than this to get back on course.
A man to watch in the home team will be Henri Anier, who has netted 17 goals in 70 caps for the national team. San Marino, on the other hand, have always been serving as a cannon fodder for their rivals in competitive matches, and we do not believe that they are capable of spoiling Estonia’s party at A. Le Coq Arena. In their last meeting in a competitive game Estonia recorded a routine 2-0 win over San Marino.
Highlighted Player (Ragnar Klavan):
Ragnar Klavan is a defender who started his senior career at Elva. After playing for Tulevik an Flora between 2002 and 2005, the Estonian footballer joined Heracles Almelo on 4 August, 2005. Klavan made his debut for Heracles five days later and he scored his first goal for the club on 31 December, 2005, in a 2-2 draw with Vitesse.
In 2009 he was sent on loan to AZ Alkmaar and he signed a permanent deal with the Dutch outfit on 4 February, 2009. He played 12 games for AZ in the 2008/2009 season and it has to be noted that the Cheeseheads won the national championship that season. He played for AZ Alkmaar until 2 July, 2012 when he decided to move to Germany.
The Estonian defender signed a two-year deal with Augsburg and he made no less than 125 appearances for the German club between 2012 and 2016. Klavan impressed in the 2015/2016 Bundesliga campaign and, as a result, Liverpool chiefs decided to sign him on 20 July, 2016. He made his Estonia debut on 3 July, 2013 against fellow Baltic side Lithuania.
Highlighted Team (San Marino):
San Marino played their first official match back in 1990, with the team suffering a 4-0 loss to Switzerland in the European Championship qualifiers. The minnows often serve as a cannon fodder for their rivals in competitive games, but it has to be noted that they did well to hold Estonia to a goalless draw in the Euro 2016 qualifiers.
San Marino have yet to record a win in the qualifiers for the major tournaments, but on April 28, 2004 they recorded a hard-fought victory over Liechtenstein in a friendly match and that is considered their biggest achievement. “La Serenissima” welcome their rivals at San Marino Stadium and the capacity of the venue is only 6.664.
San Marino footballers wear blue shirts and blue shorts when playing at home, whilst the colour of their away kits is white. It is well known that San Marino have never participated at the finals of the FIFA World Cup or the European Championship.