The chase for the 2016 European Cup will take its next step on Thursday. Two teams attempting to qualify for the tournament will do battle in a match between Lithuania and Estonia. The contest scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET will be held at LFF Stadium in Vilnius and can be live streamed here free.
Match Background (via UEFA):
Both teams have done very little to separate themselves in 46 meetings to date, with both posting a record of 19-8-19. In the previous four encounters, however, it's Lithuania that boasts a slight edge, posting a record of 3-0-1. Two of those three victories came on Estonian soil.
The rivalry dates back to 1923, in which Lithuania lost 5-0 at home against Estonia in the first international fixture between the two. In 26 meetings before the advent of the Soviet Union, Lithuania struggled with a record of 7-4-15. But since both nations regained independence in the 1990s, Lithuania has dominated the fixture, posting 12 wins and just four losses (12-4-4).
Estonia will look to break a recent string of fixtures and regain relevancy in one of Europe's most-storied rivalries.
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Joel Lindpere once made a living dominating the fields of Red Bull Arena in Major League Soccer. The 33-year-old has since moved to the Gambrinus League, making nine appearances in 2014.
Lithuania's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Arlauskis; Freidgeimas, Kijanskas, Slavickas, Vaitkunas; Kalonas, Panka, Novikovas, Chvedukas, Cernych; Matulevicius
Estonia's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Pareiko; Klavan, Kallaste, Mets, Jaager; Lindpere, Vunk, Antonov, Ojama; Purge, Zenjov
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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