Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
After sharing the spoils with Honduras in a friendly, Belarus will be looking to return to winning ways when they take on Estonia in the opening match of their World Cup qualifying campaign. Mikhail Markhel mixed the squad in Wednesday’s friendly, but he is likely to field the best possible side against Estonia. Keep in mind, though, that Denis Laptev misses the match through suspension.
Estonia, on the other hand, experienced all sorts of problems at the back in a 6-2 loss to Czech Republic. The Estonians continue to struggle on the international stage, and seeing that Belarus are a real force to be reckoned with at home, we are tempted to put our money on Mikhail Markhel’s troops. It has to be noted that Belarus emerged triumphant in two of the previous three meetings between the two national teams in all competitions.
Highlighted Player (Mikhail Gordejchuk):
Mikhail Gordeichuk is a Belarusian footballer who was born in Saran, Kazakhstan (SSSR) on October 23, 1989. Gordeichuk started his youth career at Shakhter Karagandy, but he made his senior debut for Volna Pinsk in the 2008/2009 season. After scoring 10 goals in 45 appearances for the club the midfielder joined Naftan Novopolotsk in 2010 and he played 32 games in the Belarusian top flight for the club.
In 2011 he moved to BATE Borisov, but he was quickly sent on loan to Belshina Bobruisk. In 2013 he signed a permanent deal with Belshina and it has to be noted that he made 53 appearances in the league (in total) for the Spartak Stadium outfit. Mikhail Gordeichuk then decided to return to BATE Borisov and he has been playing for the most successful Belarusian club ever since. It has to be noted that he won his fourth Belarusian Premier League title with BATE in 2016.
Speaking of his international career, Gordeichuk has established himself as a first-team regular at the Belarus national football team and he scored his first ever goal for the former Soviet republic in a 5-1 win over Liechtenstein on May 21, 2014.
Highlighted Team (Estonia):
Former Soviet republic Estonia declared its independence on August 20, 1991 and they have been participating in FIFA and UEFA competitions ever since. The Estonians have yet to make it to the finals of a major tournament, but they often made life difficult for European giants in the qualifiers.
In 2010 Estonia did well to beat Serbia in Belgrade in the Euro 2012 qualifiers, but they eventually failed to qualify for the showpiece tournament. “The Blueshirts” welcome their rivals at Le Coq Arena in Tallinn and the capacity of the stadium is 10.500. Sergei Zenjov, who played for the likes of Blackpool, Karpaty and Torpedo Moscow in the past is one of the most famous Estonian footballers.
Ragnar Klavan is yet another notable footballer who plays for both Estonia national football team and Liverpool. The Estonians play their home games in blue shirts and black shorts, while they wear white shirts and white shorts when playing on the travels.