TWO OF THE worst teams in international football are set to meet later today in what is a much-needed opportunity for both to end long winless runs.
At 5.30pm Irish time, San Marino take on Andorra at the Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle in an international friendly.
With both sides accustomed to shutting up shop and effectively keeping the score down, it should be interesting to see how this meeting of the minnows pans out.
Both sides, unsurprisingly, have very poor recent records.
Andorra are on a five-match losing run, since a 0-0 draw at home to Azerbaijan last May.
Meanwhile, they have gone an incredible 86 games without a win — a 1-0 victory over Macedonia on 13 October 2004 in a World Cup qualifier was the last time they emerged from an international match as winners. They have drawn just five times in total in the intervening period since their last win.
Furthermore, since their first-ever international — a 6-1 friendly loss against Estonia — the Andorrans have won just three games overall: as well as the Macedonia game, they beaten Albania 2-0 on 17 April 2002 and Belarus 2-0 on 26 April 2000, with both games friendlies taking place on home turf.
San Marino’s record is similarly woeful. They have lost their last 12 matches since drawing 0-0 at home against Estonia in a Euro 2016 qualifier on 15 November 2014.
In addition, they have gone 74 games without a win — on 28 April 2004, they prevailed 1-0 against Liechtenstein in a friendly. That game is their only official win since making their international football debut – a 4-0 loss at home to Switzerland in a Euro ’92 qualifier on 14 November 1990. Since then, along with their sole victory, they have drawn four matches. The Estonia game aside, they have tied 2-2 in a friendly with Liechtenstein on 20 August 2003, 1-1 in a World Cup qualifier with Latvia on 25 April 2001 and 0-0 with Turkey in another World Cup qualifier on 10 March 1993.
Consequently, both sides would end winless runs that stretch back years should either triumph today.
The bookies have Andorra as favourites at 10/11 with San Marino priced at 3/1 and a draw 9/4.
Andorra also have the higher population, with approximately 85,000 inhabitants compared with 33,000 people in San Marino.
San Marino, though, have the slightest of advantages in terms of their Fifa ranking — they are one place above Andorra in 202nd. Of all the other Fifa-member nations, only British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Bahamas, Djibouti, Eritrea, Gibraltar, Somalia and Tonga are ranked below the aforementioned duo.
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