In occupying the three-team Group D2 of this UEFA Nations League (UNL) edition, Malta have less room for error than usual, but a 2-0 away win against perennial whipping boys San Marino represented an ideal start in their tournament opener. Now the Maltese are armed with momentum, as they prepare for the first of only two homegames which they hope will aid a long-awaited escape from League D.

Four draws with a 1-1 scoreline comprise the bulk of their all-time UNL home record (W1, D4, L1), but with three of those stalemates seeing Malta concede last, they’ve often failed recently to build on good starts at the Ta' Qali National Stadium.

That can only encourage 2020/21 relegation victims Estonia, who began the UNL campaign with their own 2-0 victory over San Marino. They followed that up with a 5-0 loss in a friendly vs Argentina, while permitting Lionel Messi to become only the third Argentine ever to net five goals in an international. In turn, they should be suitably sharpened up (and riled!) to get their first UNL away win since November 2018.

This will be the Baltic side’s first competitive clash with Malta since failing to score across a brace of World Cup ’94 qualifiers. A lot has changed since though, and withEstonia ranked 59 places better than their hosts in FIFA’s current standings, a repeat of those blanks from the 1990s would be seen as a major step back in their quest to instantly regain League C status.

Players to watch: Malta’s Jan Busuttil netted a goal against San Marino in his team’s UNL opener, while Estonia partly owe their first-round success to Robert Kirss, with his opening goal against San Marino also being his maiden international strike.

Hot streak: None of Estonia’s last six wins overall have seen them score in both halves.

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