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1 vs 0
Played
February 6, 2013 7:45 PM GMT
Pittodrie Stadium — Aberdeen
Referee:‬ C. Turpin‎
Attendance:‬ 16102‎
 
39′ Charles Mulgrew
 

Scotland - Estonia Preview: Strachan looking to get his reign off to a winning start

The ex-Celtic manager will be hoping for a positive opening to his spell in control after taking over following Craig Levein's axing, with Scott Brown his first captain

By Shane Farrington

More On :  Estonia, Scotland, Scotland vs Estonia
Steven Fletcher of Scotland
Getty
  PROBABLE LINEUPS

SCOTLAND

McGregor
Hutton, Caldwell, Berra, Mulgrew
Naismith, Brown, Adam, Snodgrass
Rhodes, Fletcher
ESTONIA

Pareiko
Rahn, Kruglov, Klavan, Jaager
Puri, Vassiljev, Purje, Kams
Oper, Kink

Gordon Strachan has a strong squad at his disposal for his first match since taking over the role. A host of Premier League names, including Charlie Adam and Steven Fltecher are set to feature.

Celtic midfielder Scott Brown has been named captain but club team-mate James Forrest will not be selected after his manager opted to rest him.

The ex-Middlesbrough boss has an exciting set of striking options from which to choose despite Ross McCormack's withdrawal through illness - with Fletcher, Jordan Rhodes and Kenny Miller all battling for starting berths.

As for the visitors, Tarmo Ruutli has named a mixture of veteran and inexperienced players for the match. In particular, he has plenty of experience in defence with Dmitri Kruglov, Ragnar Klavan and Enar Jaager having made more than 80 appearances for their country.

Motherwell striker Henrik Ojamaa is likely to have to settle for a place on the bench with Andres Oper and Tarmo Kink filling the two striking spots.

  DID YOU KNOW?

  • Scotland currently sit 69th in Fifa's latest world rankings. Their highest-ever rating was back in October 2007 when they were listed 13th.
  • New boss Gordon Strachan (pictured right) scored five times in 50 caps for Scotland during his playing days.
  • Estonia have won two of their last six matches - a 1-0 World Cup 2014 qualification win over Andorra and a 2-1 victory against Oman in a friendly.
  • They currently occupy 83rd spot the Fifa rankings, having previously risen as high as 47th back in March 2012.
  • Martin Reim is Estonia's most-capped player - making 157 appearances and scoring 14 times between 1992-2009.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Scotland 2-0 Estonia
    43.48 %
  • Scotland 3-1 Estonia
    8.7 %
  • Scotland 0-2 Estonia
    8.7 %
Head to Head
International Friendlies ‎(FR)‎ 6 Feb 2013 Scotland 1 - Estonia 0
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
  • Preview
Last Five Matches
Scotland
26 Mar 2013Serbia 2 - Scotland 0WCQE
22 Mar 2013Scotland 1 - Wales 2WCQE
6 Feb 2013Scotland 1 - Estonia 0FR
14 Nov 2012Luxembourg 1 - Scotland 2FR
16 Oct 2012Belgium 2 - Scotland 0WCQE
Estonia
26 Mar 2013Estonia 2 - Andorra 0WCQE
22 Mar 2013Netherlands 3 - Estonia 0WCQE
6 Feb 2013Scotland 1 - Estonia 0FR
14 Nov 2012UAE 2 - Estonia 1FR
16 Oct 2012Andorra 0 - Estonia 1WCQE
Odds
Returns: Scotland £16.20 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Returns: Draw £40.00 BetVictor Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET!
Returns: Estonia £65.00 BetVictor Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET!
Team News
Available Squads
-Allan McGregorGoalkeeper
-Alan HuttonDefender
-Andy WebsterDefender
-Christophe BerraDefender
2Charles MulgrewDefender
-Charlie AdamMidfielder
-Chris BurkeMidfielder
-Scott BrownMidfielder
-Steven FletcherStriker
-Shaun MaloneyStriker
-Steven NaismithStriker
21Matthew Gilks Goalkeeper
-Lee WallaceDefender
26Phil BardsleyDefender
2Russell MartinDefender
27James MorrisonMidfielder
-Kris CommonsMidfielder
-Matt PhillipsMidfielder
23Robert SnodgrassStriker
-James McArthurMidfielder
-Jamie MackieStriker
-Jordan RhodesStriker
-Kenny MillerStriker
24Sergei PareikoGoalkeeper
2Enar Jaager Defender
-Igor MorozovDefender
9Ragnar KlavanDefender
16Taijo TenisteDefender
14Konstantin VassiljevMidfielder
21Sergei MošnikovMidfielder
7Sander PuriMidfielder
17Tarmo KinkStriker
-Andres OperStriker
-Henrik OjamaaStriker
-Marko MeeritsGoalkeeper
5Dmitriy KruglovDefender
21Taavi RahnDefender
2Tihhon SisovDefender
19Gerd KamsDefender
11Ats PurjeMidfielder
-Sim LutsMidfielder
11Jarmo AhjuperaStriker
-Vladimir VoskoboinikovStriker
Players to Watch
Jordan Rhodes
Jordan Rhodes
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 0
Games Goals YC RC
1 0 0 0
The 23-year-old has continued to score goals freely since his big-money move to Blackburn Rovers from Huddersfield last summer. His ability to finish from tight angles and create chances out of nothing make him a real threat to opposition defences and he will be desperate to establish himself as a regular for his country under Strachan.
Andres Oper
Andres Oper
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 0
Games Goals YC RC
1 0 0 0
The 35-year-old is his country's highest-ever goalscorer with 38 on his tally. With the other four strikers in Estonia's current 20-man squad yet to hit double figures at internatonal level, the veteran forward will again be expected to be the one who can help his side to get on the scoresheet.
Prediction
The hosts will be hoping to kick-start their rein under Strachan in winning style and go into the match with a strong squad, especially up front. They should to have too much for their opponents to handle.
Editor's Prediction
Scotland 3
Estonia 1
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Ashraf Nu'man Alfawaghra Ashraf Nu'man Alfawaghra
Midfielder
Al Faisaly Amman 		4 1
Andreas Cornelius Andreas Cornelius
Striker
FC Copenhagen 		4 1
Mikael Forssell Mikael Forssell
Striker
HJK Helsinki 		3 1
Fred Fred
Striker
Fluminense 		3 0
Felipe Caicedo Felipe Caicedo
Striker
Lokomotiv 		3 0

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