Both aiming to put their defeats earlier in the international window behind them, Andorra and San Marino will clash for a friendly match at Estadi Nacional on Sunday evening.
The Tricolours were defeated on their travels by Moldova on Thursday night, whilst La Serenissima suffered a loss at the home of Gibraltar on the same day.
Match preview
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During their seven matches across all the international windows of 2024 so far, Andorra have only managed to avoid defeat on the single occasion, securing a share of the spoils against 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa courtesy of an opening goal from striker Ricard Fernandez in March.
Since then, the Tricolours have suffered six straight defeats across international friendlies and the 2024-25 edition of the UEFA Nations League, failing to find the net during any of those contests and conceding a worrying total of 12 goals in the painful process.
Competing in a three-team group of Nations League D - the lowest level of the tournament in UEFA - Andorra have failed to collect any points from their opening two matches, losing to both Malta and most recently section leaders Moldova during a trip to Chisinau on Thursday night.
It was two goals either side of the half-time break that downed the Andorrans last time out, with both Artur Ionita and Maxim Cojocaru finding the net for the hosts Moldova in League B Group 2.
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Despite suffering five losses so far in the calendar year, 2024 has been a truly special year for San Marino's football team, who secured their first-ever competitive victory on September 5, when they managed a one-goal success over Liechtenstein thanks to a second-half effort from Nicko Sensoli.
Unfortunately for La Serenissima, they have been unable to build on a historic night on the international stage last month, losing a friendly to European minnows Moldova on September 10 before falling to a 1-0 loss at the home of Gibraltar in the Nations League on Thursday night.
Matching the hosts in terms of total shots (11) and shots on target (2) across the course of the 90 minutes, San Marino arguably did enough to pick up a result at Europa Point Stadium, but a second-period strike from Ethan Britto sealed maximum points for Julio Ribas's troops.
La Serenissima will be looking to end a three-game losing run against Sunday's hosts Andorra this weekend, with the Tricolours winning the most recent matchup during World Cup qualifying in October 2021, when goals from Marc Pujol, Sergio Moreno and Fernandez ensured a 3-0 success.
Team News
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Substituted just after the hour mark during Thursday's defeat to Moldova, Marc Garcia and Alex Martinez are unlikely to start for Andorra on the weekend.
Aiming to stake their claims in the starting XI for the upcoming Nations League fixtures in November, the likes of Aaron Sanchez and Eric Vales Ramos should be handed an opportunity to impress for the Tricolours.
Forced off after just 27 minutes of the defeat to Gibraltar earlier in the week, 37-year-old Dante Carlos Rossi is set to be unavailable for San Marino on Sunday evening.
As a result, Michele Cevoli will require a new partner from the start at centre-back, with Filippo Fabbri representing the most likely candidate for that role.
Due to the nature of the friendly fixture, there could be some experimentation from La Serenissima, meaning that youngsters Lorenzo Lazzari and Giacomo Valentini could start.
Andorra possible starting lineup:
Alvarez; Nicolas, Llovera, Garcia, Olivera, Gomes; Sanchez, Teixeira, Vales, Cervos; Rosas
San Marino possible starting lineup:
Colombo; Benvenuti, Cevoli, Fabbri, Tosi; Casadei, Battistini, Zannoni; Berardi, Contadini, Nanni
We say: Andorra 0-0 San Marino
With both likely to sense the opportunity for a rare win, we are expecting a cautious approach from Andorra and San Marino on Sunday evening.
The Tricolours certainly have the advantage with their home support behind them, although we believe that La Serenissima will force a share of the friendly spoils in Andorra la Vella.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
