Ranked 129th Faroe Islands take on ranked 164th Moldova this weekend where the visitors have an opportunity to close the gap at the top end of the table. However, the Faroe Islands have never lost to Moldova and when the two sides met in March, the game concluded 1-1.
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are the only nation in Group E to have not won a game yet in qualifying, picking up a point out of four games, which was against this weekend’s opponents. Hakan Ericson’s side has struggled at both ends of the field, with a record of 2 goals scored and 9 conceded serving as evidence. A win versus Moldova is vital and approaching the game with intent from the first minute may be the only way to stun their opponent.
This week against Poland, the Faroe Islands struggled to maintain any spells of possession or create anything in front of goal. Unfortunately this has been a frequent occurrence, however their last game at home versus Albania showcased glimpses of their ability to be unpredictable when attacking. They will get most of their joy from set pieces and they will most likely base their game around that this weekend.
Moldova
Moldova have surprised quite a few people throughout these qualifiers. They are placed in 4th on five points, which is only three points behind the leaders Czech Republic. The approach to matches revolves around defensive security which has proven to be a successful strategy so far, as they held the Czech republic to a 0-0 draw in March.
In the first three games, Moldova had only scored one goal which highlights that the attacking third is their problem phase. However in the fourth game against Poland, the attacking fluidity just clicked. Despite being 2-0 down at half-time and not even registering an attempt at goal, Moldova showed incredible mentality after the break, having 9 shots at goal and most importantly, scoring 3 goals to win the tie. Ion Nicolaescu netted a brace and Moldova will need their star attacker on form this weekend.
Verdict?
Moldova have shown that they can score if opportunities present, unlike the Faroe Islands who struggle in front of goal. Combine the latter with Moldova’s solid defensive record and it is difficult to see a home win.
The final prediction is Faroe Islands 1-2 Moldova.
