Estonia and Latvia face off at the A. Le Coq Arena in a winner-takes-all clash in the Baltic Cup. Both teams are locked on points in the competition, but the Estonians have fared better in recent weeks and should claim the win.
Estonia began their campaign in the Baltic Cup with a 1-0 victory over Lithuania. Henri Anier's effort on the hour mark earned them the win as they now trail Latvia by goal difference in the group standings.
Thomas Haberli’s men followed up that result with another 1-0 win, this time in a friendly against Finland, who will be competing at Euro 2020. That win was secured thanks to Rauno Sappinen's 59th minute penalty.
Coming off back-to-back wins for the first time since 2017, the Estonians will go into Thursday’s clash with plenty of confidence. Coach Haberli will also be pleased with his team’s recent showings in defence having kept clean sheets in their last two matches.
Latvia were also victorious in their opening match in the competition, claiming a 3-1 triumph over Lithuania. An own goal sent them on their way to victory while Eduards Emsis and Roberts Uldrikis added further goals in the second half after the Lithuanians had drawn level.
Dainis Kazakevics’ men have won the biennial competition a record 13 times but head into Thursday’s decider in poor form. They have claimed just one win from their last five matches and were thrashed 7-1 by Germany in a friendly on Monday.
The Latvians have useful players in attack that can threaten Estonia's recent defensive solidity. However, their major problem has been in defence where they have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five matches.
How the bookies view it
Estonia go into Thursday’s clash as favourites with Vbet offering 6/5 for a win. A victory for Latvia is priced at 39/19 by the same firm who are also offering odds of 30/11 for a draw.
While Latvia are likely to find the net on Thursday, the Estonians will be feeling confident following back-to-back wins and should edge out a close contest.
Head to head
Latvia have a 5-2 advantage with six draws from 13 previous matches against Estonia. Both teams have claimed one victory each from the last two fixtures with the Latvians winning the most recent meeting 1-0.
Players to watch
Henri Anier and Rauno Sappinen have gotten the goals for Estonia in their last two matches and will be the ones to watch on Thursday. Both men are likely to start in attack and can ensure the Estonians score at 5/19 Vbet.
Latvia also have some quality in attack, particularly with Roberts Uldrikis, who was on target in the win over Lithuania. Eduards Emsis also contributes goals from midfield and with both men expected to feature on Thursday, the Latvians are likely to find the net at 4/11 with Sporting Index.
Anything else catch the eye?
Goals can be expected in Thursday’s clash with both teams likely to score at 8/11 with Sporting Index. Over 2.5 goals could also be on the cards at 22/23 with Vbet while over 3.5 goals is set at odds of 5/2 with Skybet.
Estonia could be backed to score in both halves at 9/4 with Sporting Index.
This match between Estonia and Latvia will be played on Jun 10, 2021 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Estonia vs Latvia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.