Preview: Liechtenstein vs. Gibraltar

Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Nations League clash between Liechtenstein and Gibraltar, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Liechtenstein welcome Gibraltar to Vaduz in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday fresh off the back of ending a 41-game winless run in all competitions last week.

The change in format means one team is guaranteed to be promoted from this group, with second place going into a playoff to try to win promotion from the bottom tier, making this a hugely important fixture for both.

Match preview
© Imago

It is only a month since Liechtenstein suffered the humiliation of losing to San Marino, and in doing so, replacing them as the national team with the longest winless run in world football.

However, that streak, which stretched back to October 2020, was finally ended on Thursday, when a goal from captain Nicolas Hasler saw them beat Hong Kong 1-0.

That was much needed after the unwanted headlines Liechtenstein made in September, as they were on the end of San Marino’s second-ever victory, the other also coming against them 20 years earlier.

It has also left them playing catch-up in this section, as they sit bottom two points behind San Marino, who are in the League D playoff place.

After ending their long wait for a win in any international thanks to the friendly success on Thursday, Konrad Funfstuck will now look to guide them to their first competitive win in just over four years.

That last competitive win came away from home against San Marino in September 2020, and they often struggle when playing in front of a home crowd, considering they are goalless in their last five home Nations League games, taking just one point.

The 2-2 draw they achieved in the reverse fixture should give them some belief though, as they seek to end a five-game winless streak against Gibraltar.

Despite Gibraltar’s relatively short history as a UEFA member, these two have already met seven times, largely thanks to this competition, and they met on the very first matchday back in 2018, with Liechtenstein coming out 2-0 winners.

While they are unbeaten in five meeting – winning three – Gibraltar will have been cursing their luck at how they did not win in September’s clash, in what was a contender for game of the round.

With the score level at 1-1 with just a few minutes remaining, Liam Walker missed a Gibraltar penalty before Aron Sele had a goal disallowed by VAR for Liechtenstein.

The drama did not end there, as Gibraltar thought they had won it with James Scalon’s strike on 97 minutes, but a Hasler penalty 14 minutes into added time levelled up the scores once again, as the match ended 2-2.

Julio Cesar Ribas’s side made up for that late falter by beating San Marino 1-0 on Thursday, with Ethan Britto’s goal enough to move them to the top of the standings as they look to make an instant return to League C.

The win now means Gibraltar have gone four games unbeaten for the first time, having held Wales and beat Andorra before the start of the Nations League.

Those four games were all at home though, and their away form is up there with the worst anywhere in the world, as they have lost 14 in a row on the road, conceding 64 in the process.

Liechtenstein Nations League form:

Liechtenstein form (all competitions):

Gibraltar Nations League form:

Gibraltar form (all competitions):

Team News
© Imago

Despite the awful result in Serravalle last month, Funfstuck picked the same squad again and they repaid his faith by winning on Thursday, so a similar XI could feature here.

Skipper Hasler has been the saviour in both of their last two games, scoring the late pen in Gibraltar, and the solitary goal against Hong Kong, and he will look to have an impact again in what will be his 98th cap.

Gibraltar will again look towards Manchester United youth product Scanlon for inspiration, after impressing against San Marino a few weeks after getting his first international goal in the reverse fixture, and netting four in an Under-18s win over Blackburn Rovers at club level.

Joseph Chipolina is suspended after his red card as a substitute in the game against Liechtenstein last month, while Dayle Coleing and Julian Valarino have both missed out.

Liechtenstein possible starting lineup:
B Buchel; Marxer, Wieser, Goppel; Hasler, Luchinger, M Buchel, Sele, S Wolfinger; Luque-Notaru, Saglam

Gibraltar possible starting lineup:
Banda; Bent, Annesley, Tortilla, Olivero; Jolley, Walker, Lopes; Britto, De Barr, Scanlon

We say: Liechtenstein 0-0 Gibraltar
After ending their lengthy winless streak last week, Liechtenstein have recovered from the humiliation they suffered last month against San Marino, and will feel confident again given Gibraltar’s current away record.

The visitor’s last away win ironically came at this venue in Vaduz though back in 2020 – 21 games ago – but that run could well go on unless they can end their current eight-game goalless run on the road.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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