Gibraltar Vs San Marino
Gibraltar Vs San Marino Saturday 5 August 2020 – 14:00 Kick-Off
UEFA Nations League – League D, Group 2
Pick: Gibraltar/Gibraltar (HT/FT Betting)
Odds: 11/10
Bookmaker: BetFred
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 3 September 2020)
Preview: An epic battle, between two of the lowest ranked nations, is all set for Saturday afternoon inside Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar, where the hosts will start as rare favourites up against San Marino.
UEFA Nations League Betting at 22Bet
Table of Contents
Gibraltar Preview – Rare win potentially in the offing?
In what is perhaps a first, Gibraltar will begin a competitive match as favourites. It helps, of course, to be facing the second-worst team in international football. What it also does is invite added pressure that wouldn’t ordinarily accompany their games. So while failure to win wouldn’t necessarily constitute a shock, it would certainly go down as a golden opportunity missed.
Since 2013, the year when the country first started competing officially, Gibraltar have featured 46 times and faced 22 individual countries. They’ve won only four (W4 D3 L39). Even less of those triumphs were in a competitive setting, and yet it was during the inaugural Nations League that the smallest UEFA member truly announced itself with eye-catching victories over Armenia (0-1) and Liechtenstein (2-1).
Gibraltar missed out on promotion despite those valiant efforts, finishing with a record of W2 L4 in a Group D4 headed by Macedonia and propped up by Liechtenstein, who are once again in the same group. By contrast, upcoming opponents San Marino lost all six matches in Group D2. Euro 2020 qualifying was an altogether proposition for Gibraltar, though, losing all eight qualifiers in Group D.
San Marino Preview – A 40th consecutive defeat looms large?
Synonymous with a perennially low ranking, being on the receiving end of some of the most lopsided scorelines ever recorded and having the term ‘minnow’ universally bestowed upon them. San Marino are essentially better known as the nation who cannot play football to a competent level but give it a good go regardless.
This Saturday sees them take on a team not too dissimilar to themselves, ranked a meagre thirteen places better off in the latest FIFA Rankings. In other words, this is just as much a golden opportunity for them as it is for the opposition, who are favourites on account of actually competing in some of their games every once and while. The same cannot really apply to San Marino, currently on a 37-match losing streak.
Away from home, it is 49 consecutive defeats, of which 46 were without them even managing a consolation goal while the last eight would see them concede at least three times. Even a shot on target is a sight for sore eyes in the majority of outings. Meanwhile the 2018 Nations League finished pointless and goalless (L6, GF0 GA16), despite only facing the likes of Belarus, Luxembourg and Moldova.
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Gibraltar Vs San Marino Betting Advice
Just about everyone will have caught a glimpse of San Marino in action at least once, invariably versus an elite nation. It almost always involves every outfield player defending. The fact they are coming up against far more favourable opposition in this competition might lead to a more ambitious approach. It may not matter, however: San Marino lost all six group games in the 2018 Nations League, five of which seen them trail at half-time.
Gibraltar Vs San Marino – Key Facts
- On the four occasions Gibraltar have ever won a game, all four were by a single-goal margin – including during the 2018 Nations League in their wins over Armenia and Liechtenstein.
- The last time San Marino avoided losing a match was November 2014 in a goalless draw at home to Estonia (39 consecutive defeats since).
- There has never been a previous match played between Gibraltar (FIFA ranking 196) and San Marino (209).
Gibraltar are the favourites, and rightly so, but were rather hapless during Euro 2020 qualifying. All rather disappointing, considering the confidence gathered from winning two of six group matches in the preceding Nations League tournament. The hosts do at least know where the goal is, having scored eight in 14 combined Nations League and Euro 2020 games. Eight more than San Marino. Gibraltar 2-0.
Best Betting Odds – Gibraltar Vs San Marino
Gibraltar – 2/5 (Boylesports)
Draw – 19/4 (Bet365)
San Marino – 10/1 (Betway)
