Belarus V Estonia
Thursday 10 October 2019 – 17:00 Kick-Off
Euro 2020 Qualifying, Group C
Pick: Estonia +1 Asian Handicap
Odds: 19/20
Bookmaker: Unibet
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49/100 | 63/20 | 7/1 |
* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of 8 October 2019 at 14:30)
Preview: Group C, with regards to the battle for the two automatic qualification spots, is much closer than many would have expected. Two countries no longer in that conversation are Belarus and Estonia, with the bottom two teams in this section coming face-to-face at Dinamo Stadium in Minsk, Belarus in what is essentially a contest to decide who will finish bottom.
Euro 2020 Qualifying Betting – 22Bet
Belarus Preview – Can the hosts double their points tally in Group C?
Results in Group C: Netherlands 4-0 (A), Northern Ireland 2-1 (A), Germany 0-2 (H), Northern Ireland 0-1 (H), Estonia 1-2 (A)
These Euro 2020 Qualifiers have served as a brutal reminder that Belarus are still nowhere near the required level needed in order to compete for qualification into major tournaments. Five games completed and a last-gasp victory away in Estonia is the sum total of their combined efforts so far (W1 L4), occupying fourth in the group and some nine points adrift of second. The good news, however, is that they come up against that same opponent again here.
This isn’t to conclude that the Belarusians are completely hopeless. An opening 4-0 loss in Holland aside, ‘The White Wings’ have made life difficult in this group. The pair of defeats to Northern Ireland were cruel in that both were delivered by late goals, while the scoreline was at least kept respectable at home to Germany (0-2).
Furthermore, this side would excel up against nations of a similar stature to themselves in the recent Nations League. Although, the fact their group consisted of Luxembourg, Moldova and San Marino would perhaps make their success all the less surprising and possibly even beg the question as to why they didn’t win all six encounters. Nonetheless, Belarus would finish unbeaten (W4 D2), achieved without shipping a goal across those six games.
Estonia Preview – Will the outsiders of Group C secure their first point(s)?
Results in Group C: Northern Ireland 2-0 (A), Northern Ireland 1-2 (H), Germany 8-0 (A), Belarus 1-2 (H), Netherlands 0-4 (H)
It has been a predictably rough experience for the lowest ranked country (102) in this group, with Estonia rock-bottom, pointless and with a goal difference of -16. The brunt of the damage, though, did come in fixtures they were never likely to get anything from, versus Germany (8-0) and Netherlands (0-4). Contests with Northern Ireland and Belarus would also leave them empty-handed, but not without putting up some spirited resistance.
A couple of second-half strikes condemned them to a 2-0 defeat in Northern Ireland, one they could have few complaints about. However, the reverse encounter would see them take an early lead in only to surrender all hopes of registering a maiden point when conceding twice in the closing ten minutes. Closer still was the meeting at home with Belarus. With the scores level at 1-1 at the end of the 90 minutes, the visitors would steal all three points with a winning goal two minutes into time added on.
Can they avenge that defeat? Just the one win in their previous seven internationals (W1 D1 L5) would possibly suggest not, losing their last four matches in consecutive fashion. The solitary success in that sequence being a less-than-convincing 1-0 scoreline against minnows Gibraltar. Meanwhile, their three away encounters in the recent Nations League would see them stun Greece (0-1) in Athens but lose to nil in Finland (1-0) and Hungary (2-0).
Belarus V Estonia Key Facts:
- Belarus have taken three points from their first five Group C fixtures (W1 L4).
- Estonia are the only team in this group still to register a point after five straight losses.
- The earlier meeting in this group would be decided in the 92nd minute by Belarus, who were 2-1 victors in Tallinn. The H2H is evenly split, however, at three wins apiece.
Betting Summary
The only points these two teams have registered between them in Euro 2020 Qualifying came in the reverse meeting, when Belarus left it late to snatch all three points in a 2-1 victory in Tallinn. Belarus are slightly higher ranked (82 vs 102) but, in truth, their recent form is not too dissimilar to that of Estonia, with both comfortably beaten by the better teams in this section but keeping it competitive otherwise.
So this could be a tighter contest than the betting would have us believe. Belarus deserve to be favourites, on account of them being at home, but their price is extremely prohibitive for a side whose form over the past twelve months or so is hardly a significant upgrade on that of Estonia. Moreover, Belarus’ tally of three goals in this group is only one better than their opponents, who can point towards away triumphs in Finland and Greece either side of 2019 for inspiration.
