Prediction: Estonia vs England

Having recorded a shock victory over Slovenia in their opening fixture, Estonia were unable to avoid defeat in Lithuania, and they are now set to face arguably the best team in the group. After rolling over San Marino in midweek, England should have plenty left in the rank to ensure the third successive triumph in the Euro 2016 qualifiers.

Estonia are one of the weaker national teams to have emerged as the Soviet Union collapsed, and their best result up to date remains a second-place finish in the Euro 2012 qualifying group, when they left the likes of Serbia, Slovenia and Northern Ireland behind. The team, however, haven’t enjoyed a lot of success of late, picking up mere seven points in their 2014 World Cup qualifying group, albeit holding Netherlands to a 2-2 draw at home. Estonia started the new qualifying campaign on a bright note, defeating Slovenia at home, as they scored a late goal after their opponents had had a man sent off. Magnus Pehrsson’s charges could not repeat the feat against Lithuania, despite producing another good defensive display, losing the game 1-0. And with high-flying England their next opponents, there are no doubts the hosts will attempt to keep things tight at the back and hopefully frustrate their more illustrious opponents, and I don’t think the Three Lions will find it easy to break them on Sunday evening. Estonia are usually toothless up front, but they can be a tough nut to crack.

England seem to have recovered well from the 2014 World Cup disappointment, as they have since won three games in a row without conceding a single goal. And while home wins over Norway and San Marino might have been expected, the Three Lions exceeded expectations by recording a 2-0 away triumph over very good Switzerland side, which is enough to suggest their performances on the road are getting better. But, with players still trying to adapt to the new diamond formation in midfield and the likes of Gerrard and Lampard no longer present, it will take the team a while to start playing to their potential. The San Marino game was hardly a perfect match to draw any conclusions, but it certainly showed that Adam Lallana and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain deserve starting berths, especially when England are up against opponents that tend to defend in numbers. The Liverpool star should especially be considered for a start against Estonia, having looked much more dangerous than Raheem Sterling against San Marino. Chances are the likes of Baines and Delph will be recalled for the Sunday’s game, with Lallana possibly replacing Sterling in the starting line-up.

Conclusion

Estonia usually prove very difficult to break when playing at home and given that England are not exactly in a perfect shape at the moment, chances are a low-scoring match is on the cards. The Three Lions are expected to adopt a cautious approach, meaning that under 2.5 goals should be a safe bet.

Verdict: Under 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 7/10

Bookmaker: bet365