Jason Collins
Dailysports's expert
Moldova
Estonia
As part of the World Cup qualifiers, Moldova will face Estonia on March 25. Here is my exclusive prediction for this event.
Moldova
The Moldovan national team doesn't have much to hope for in this qualifier, a notion that was only confirmed when the team collapsed at home in the first round against Norway, losing 0-5, with four goals conceded in the first half alone.
In qualifiers, the Moldovans are often considered underdogs, although they frequently manage to take points from stronger opponents. In the last Nations League, the team played in the weakest division, D, where they managed to win their group, which included Malta and Andorra, allowing them to move up a class. No one expected a sensation in the first qualifying match, but losing in such a manner is also unsatisfactory.
Estonia
Estonia is also far from being a top team, beginning their campaign with an away match against Israel, which took place on neutral ground in Debrecen. In that match, the Estonians even managed to open the scoring in the 10th minute, but the opponent quickly equalized.
The nominal visitors tried to hold on to the result, but the Israelis applied significant pressure and achieved a 2-1 victory. In the last Nations League, the team played in Division C, where, in the company of Sweden, Slovakia, and Azerbaijan, they finished third, which allowed them to maintain their spot in the division.
Probable line-ups
- Moldova: Chelyadnik, Krachun, Baboglo, Mudrak, Revenko, Motspan, Ratse, Ryabchuk, Kaymakov, Nicolaescu, Postolachi.
- Estonia: Hein, Kuusk, Paskotsi, Shennings-Larsen, Peetson, Poom, Kait, Sinyavskiy, Yakovlev, Krjishteal, Saarma.
Match facts
- Moldova has won 3 of their last 4 home matches.
- Estonia hasn't won away for more than two years, or 14 matches in a row.
- Here are the odds for the upcoming clash: Home win – 2.16, Draw – 3.1, Away win – 3.7.
H2H
Statistics show that the teams have faced each other three times, all in friendly matches. The first meeting ended in a goalless draw, while Estonia won the next two with identical 1-0 scores.
Prediction
After the first round, both teams became the group's underdogs, and they are likely to be direct competitors in this qualifier, as the other teams appear stronger. The Moldovans are considered slight favorites, although I expect a tense and not very spectacular match. A bet on a total of less than 2.5 goals seems reasonable here.
