Malta vs Estonia prediction, preview, team news and more

Estonia are back in action with another UEFA Nations League fixture this week as they lock horns with Malta on Thursday. Both teams have been inconsistent in the recent past and have a point to prove this week.

Malta are at the top of their group in League D and have been fairly impressive so far this season. The island nation eased past San Marino 2-0 last week and will be confident ahead of this fixture.

Estonia, on the other hand, are in second place in the group and will need to step up to secure the top spot. The Baltic outfit suffered a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Lionel Messi last week and will need to bounce back in this match.

Malta vs Estonia Head-to-Head

Malta and Estonia are on an even footing as far as the official head-to-head record is concerned and have won two games apiece out of a total of six matches played between the two teams.

The previous meeting between the two sides took place in 2017 and ended in a 3-0 victory for Estonia. Malta were poor on the day and face yet another uphill battle this week.

Malta form guide: W-L-W-W-L

Estonia form guide: L-W-L-L-L

Malta vs Estonia Team News

Malta

Malta have no discernible injury concerns at the moment and have been in impressive form in recent weeks. The hosts are unlikely to make drastic changes to their team for this fixture.

Injured: None

Doubtful: None

Unavailable: None

Estonia

Estonia also have a fully-fit squad at their disposal and will need to field their best team this week. Henri Anier and Sergei Zenjov have stepped up for their team in the past and will likely lead the line against Malta.

Injured: None

Doubtful: None

Unavailable: None

Malta vs Estonia Predicted XI

Malta Predicted XI (3-4-3): Henry Bonello; Karl Micallef, Enrico Pepe, Zach Muscat; Joseph Mbong, Ryan Camenzuli, Teddy Teuma, Matthew Guillaumier; Paul Mbong, Jurgen Degabriele, Luke Gambin

Estonia Predicted XI (3-5-2): Karl Jakob Hein; Joonas Tamm, Märten Kuusk, Karol Mets; Sergei Zenjov, Vladislav Kreida, Mattias Käit, Konstantin Vassiljev, Vlasiy Sinyavskiy; Henri Anier, Sergei Zenjov

Malta vs Estonia Prediction

Estonia were humbled by a Lionel Messi masterclass this week and will be intent on proving their mettle in this fixture. The Estonians have experienced players in their ranks and will need to step up on Thursday.

Malta have improved over the past year but will face a tough test this week. Estonia are the better team on paper at the moment and hold the upper hand going into this game.

Prediction: Malta 1-2 Estonia

About the author

Aditya is a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda, covering previews, news, post-match articles and live blogs for 5 years. During his time here, he has had the privilege of covering a press meeting during the collaboration between his favorite club Bengaluru FC and Sevilla, where he got a chance to interact with Sevilla president Jose Castro and explore the grassroots development in his city.

Aditya started following the sport after being dazzled by Ronaldinho’s silky feet at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is a Barcelona fan and unsurprisingly, his favorite manager and players are Pep Guardiola and Andres Iniesta respectively. He admires the latter for his superhuman talent and his off-pitch demeanor, and his winning goal in Spain’s 2010 World Cup final win over the Netherlands left a lasting impact on Aditya.

The match-preview specialist believes that his ongoing five-year stint at Sportskeeda has given him the ability to identify the distinct line between emotional and fact-based articles, which separates him from other journalists. For him, fact-checking is the most integral part of his writing process and he only relies on authentic platforms for data.

Aditya is a semi-professional pianist and likes to participate in concerts and recitals when not immersed in football.

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Edited by Aditya Hosangadi

Malta vs Estonia prediction, preview, team news and more | UEFA Nations League 2022-23