Estonia vs Northern Ireland prediction, preview, team news and more | International friendly 2021

Northern Ireland visit Lillekula Stadium in Tallinn on Saturday to face Estonia for an international friendly.

The Norn Iron are in high spirits after their resounding midweek victory, thrashing Lithuania 4-1 away for their first win of the campaign.

Daniel Ballard, Conor Washington (penalty), Shayne Lavery and Paddy McNair (penalty) all scored apiece to give Ian Baraclough's side their biggest competitive win in four years.

Estonia, meanwhile, lost once again after going down 2-5 to Belgium.

With 15 goals conceded, the Blueshirts officially have the joint second-worst defensive record in the UEFA zone. Only Gibraltar have let in more goals (17).

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Estonia vs Northern Ireland Head-To-Head

In six previous clashes between the sides before, Northern Ireland won four times, losing twice.

Both those defeats came in Euro 2012 qualifiers. But in qualifying for the next Euros, the Norn Iron got their revenge, winning home and away.

Estonia 2-5 Belgium:Romelu Lukaku scored twice as Belgium overcame an early scare to crush Estonia 5-2 away on Thursday and solidify their position at the top of World Cup qualifying Group E.#CMD368 #CMD368official #WorldCupQualifiers #Estonia #Belgium pic.twitter.com/CO0MteqtXx

— CMD368_OFFICIAL (@OfficialCmd368) September 3, 2021

Estonia Form Guide (all competitions): L-W-W-W-L

Northern Ireland Form Guide (all competitions): W-L-W-D-L

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Estonia vs Northern Ireland Team News

Estonia

Flora teammates Markus Soomets and Henrik Purg, who took part in the Baltic Cup, haven't been called up for this month's games.

Tottenham Hotspur teenager Maksim Paskotsi was an unused substitute in the last match. He'll be gunning for a start here.

Mattias Kait, Estonia's hero in the Baltic finals with a brace, was also on target against Belgium. Another start on Sunday is almost certain for him.

On the bright side, Karl Oigus will be back in contention after sitting out the last game with a suspension.

Injured: None

Suspended: None

Unavailable: Markus Soomets and Henrik Purg

🎥 A delighted Ian Baraclough reacts to his side's 4-1 win over Lithuania #GAWA pic.twitter.com/xM6eenmOYy

— Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) September 2, 2021

Northern Ireland

Jonny Evans, Corry Evans and Josh Magennis are all injured and hence not called up for this month's triple-header. Stuart Dallas is unavailable due to personal reasons.

Paddy McNair's yellow card is not counted here, so he'll be available for selection once again. However, head coach Ian Baraclough might rest him.

Neil McGinn was an unused substitute in the last match and could start here.

Injured: Jonny Evans, Corry Evans, Josh Magennis

Suspended: None

Unavailable: Stuart Dallas

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Estonia vs Northern Ireland Predicted XI

Estonia (3-5-2): Karl Hein; Joonas Tamm, Marten Kuusk, Karol Mets; Sander Puri, Vladislav Kreida, Mattias Kait, Konstantin Vassiljev, Artur Pikk; Rauno Sappinen, Henri Anier.

Northern Ireland (3-5-2): Trevor Carlson; Tom Flanagan, Ciaron Brown, Daniel Ballard; Michael Smith, Ali McCann, Liam Donnelly, Jordan Thompson, Jordan Jones; Dion Charles, Kyle Lafferty.

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Estonia vs Northern Ireland Prediction

Estonia are one of the weakest sides in the world. Their defense was in complete shambles on Thursday and don't seem to stand a chance against the Norn Irons either.

The visitors, despite all the wholesale changes, should nick this one easily.

Prediction: Estonia 0-2 Northern Ireland