Andorra vs Belarus prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-09-08 16:00.
Two nations that have never featured at a UEFA European Championship come head-to-head as the winless whipping boys Andorra (D1, L3) welcome Belarus. Nestled away in the Pyrenees mountains, itâs really no surprise that Andorra are yet to make their mark on the international football stage, although they can at least take heart that one of their five all-time European Qualifying (ECQ) points (W1, D2, L61) was earned in this cycle.
Despite Andorraâs tiny stature along with their nightmarish record in this competition, they have at least put in some solid performances, losing by single goal margins against much stronger footballing nations, Israel and Switzerland, across the previous two rounds. Gallant performances alone donât win points, but the fact theyâve scored in three straight ECQ games for the first time ever may raise hopes against #98-ranked Belarus.
Although not quite as poor as their hosts, Belarusâ all-time ECQ record also makes for rather grim reading (W16, D13, L42). They too have scored in their last three games, yet a 5-0 drubbing by Switzerland as part of their ten conceded goals in four games shows theyâre certainly susceptible to collapse, so caution may be required despite their favourites tag.
Casting further doubt over the White Wingsâ favourites status is the fact that they enter this clash on the back of their longest away losing run of ECQ games (L3) since an eight-game run between 1999 and 2006. A nation with a population that dwarfs that of its hosts by over 110 times does have a significantly greater pool of talent, yet they have no players plying their trade in Europeâs top-five leagues in comparison to Andorraâs one!
Players to watch: That player is Andorran Villarreal goalkeeper Iker Ălvarez, though he will have a job on his hands to build on three clean sheets in 15 senior internationals after seeing 48 shots fired towards his goal in four ECQ games. Belarusâ Maks Ebong could add to that shot tally after bagging two of his nation's four ECQ goals in this cycle. He also recently helped club side Astana to achieve their first ever UEFA Europa Conference League group stage appearance.
Hot streak: Belarus havenât kept an away clean sheet in ECQ action since 2015 (W1, L5).