Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the UEFA Nations League match.
Today at the A. Le Coq Arena, Estonia host Sweden, but it's not guaranteed that the powerful and pricey side will claim victory. The home side boast a secret weapon that could spring surprises.
Estonia
In the third round, Estonia triumphed over Azerbaijan 3:1. Was this win expected? Theoretically, yes, especially considering the Baltic side defeated the Caspian team 2:1 in a friendly back in 2013. Now, Estonia have a rising star in goalkeeper Karl Hein. Since the age of 16, Hein has been part of Arsenal's system and is currently gaining experience at Real Valladolid, who are second to last in La Liga. Despite this, he’s regularly facing top sides, having already played against Real Madrid and Barcelona this season. Hein made four saves against Azerbaijan and even in the away match against Sweden, despite a 0:3 loss, he managed to save eight shots. He is expected to play a crucial role this evening.
Sweden
Sweden failed to secure a win against Slovakia away, missing a chance to break away in the standings. The hosts came back from 0:2, were more efficient with scoring chances (2-6), and had 11 shots (5 on target) compared to 19 (8 on target). They played with two forwards, but neither Dejan Kulusevski nor Viktor Gyökeres managed to score, leaving midfielders Yasin Ayari and Ken Sema to find the net. Sweden still need to work on their finishing.
Estonia vs Sweden Prediction
Sweden are likely to win this time as well, but won't exert themselves too much because they’ll be returning to their clubs soon and will want to return injury-free. Plus, the Estonians should have a bit more self-belief after their win over Azerbaijan. The hosts won't lose by more than two goals, thanks to Hein.
