European Championship qualifying gets underway for Moldova and Faroe Islands on Friday night as they clash in Group E at Stadionul Zimbru in Chisinau.
Both nations are aiming to reach their first-ever major tournaments in a qualifying group in which two of the five teams will advance to next year's competition in Germany.
Match preview
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Moldova are back in action for the first time in this calendar year after a 2022 which included UEFA Nations League heartbreak and friendly thumpings.
Having lost 2-1 to Azerbaijan and 5-0 to Romania on home soil during the November international break, Serghei Clescenco and his side will be looking to avoid three-straight defeats for the first time in exactly a year.
Losing out on promotion to Nations League C on goal difference in September, Moldova have a fresh focus in reaching their first European Championship, although the likes of Poland and Czech Republic will be favourites for a top-two spot.
Moldova are currently ranked 174 in the FIFA Rankings, and facing teams such as their visitors on Friday night will be a great opportunity to move up in the standings over the next year.
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Like their hosts in this contest, Faroe Islands were 5-0 losers during the last international break of 2022, but the calendar year as a whole will be remembered as a resounding success for the nation.
Hakan Ericson's side retained their League C status in the Nations League during last year's campaign, earning a notable 2-1 victory at home to Turkey courtesy of goals from Viljormur Davidsen and Joan Simun Edmundsson.
Faroe Islands will be hoping to use their Nations League achievements as a catapult for even greater days in the future - the next job of reaching a first-ever major tournament could however be a step too far at this stage.
The tiny nation - with a population of around 50,000 - have never won more than two matches during a European qualifying campaign - a statistic Ericson's men will be quietly confident of ending this year.
Team News
Moldova have included a new face in their senior team, with Vladislav Baboglo earning his first call-up after impressing with Oleksandriya, who are currently fifth in the Ukrainian top flight.
Clescenco also has a host of experienced heads to call on for Friday night's clash, with Veaceslav Posmac and Ion Jardan set to make their 60th and 50th appearances for Moldova respectively.
Faroe Islands midfielder Noah Mneney made the switch to Norwegian football after a successful spell with Vikingur in his homeland - the 20-year-old is expected to start alongside Rene Joensen in the middle of the park.
Paetur Petersen and Patrik Johannesen will be tasked with firing in the goals on Friday night, although they only have two goals between them in 22 appearances for the national team.
Moldova possible starting lineup:
Celeadnic; Craciun, Bolohan, Armas; Belousov, Rata, Ionita, Platica, Motpan; Nicolaescu, Damascan
Faroe Islands possible starting lineup:
Lamhauge; Rolantsson, G Vatnhamar, Edmundsson, Davidsen; S Vatnhamar, Joensen, Mneney, Olsen; Petersen, Johannesen
We say: Moldova 1-1 Faroe Islands
Moldova will relish their home advantage on Friday night but have not been in the best form of late, meaning three points are by no means a formality.
Faroe Islands have lofty ambitions as a footballing nation and should be good enough to earn a point on their travels to kick-start their quest for Euro 2024 qualification.
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