Sports Mole previews Thursday’s friendly clash between Liechtenstein and Hong Kong, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Liechtenstein will prepare for their next fixture in the UEFA Nations League by playing host to Hong Kong in a friendly on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the visitors to Vaduz have already been eliminated from AFC World Cup qualifying and have a number of friendlies lined up for the remainder of 2024.
Match preview
© Imago
Having suffered defeat to San Marino in what was an iconic match for the footballing purists, it is Liechtenstein who have been left to ponder how they may end their incredible winless streak.
San Marino halting a 140-game run without success was far more significant than had Liechtenstein prevailed, yet the Blue-Reds are now in a position where they are become increasingly desperate to halt their own dismal form.
They currently stand at 41 games and four years without posting a win, although their recent form deserves far more praise than it has been receiving.
Three draws have come in five outings – including a goalless draw versus Romania – and they also have stalemates with Latvia and Gibraltar to show for their efforts.
A 90th-minute equaliser from the penalty spot secured a share of the spoils versus the latter, but they now return to Vaduz where they have lost every game for nearly four years.
Facing regular opposition who are weaker than what Liechtenstein have generally been facing, Hong Kong have four wins and three draws to their name over the past 13 months.
An eight-game losing streak during the same period should also be noted, although they make the trip to Europe on the back of putting together a run of three fixtures without defeat.
Either side of draws with Turkmenistan and Fiji, a 3-0 was posted against the Solomon Islands, which represented Ashley Westwood‘s first win as head coach having been appointed as recently as August.
Liechtenstein form (all competitions):
Hong Kong form (all competitions):
Team News
Despite this being a friendly, the expectation is that Konrad Funfstuck will name his strongest Liechtenstein XI for this contest.
That could result in the same starting lineup from the Gibraltar draw being selected, although players such as Fabio Wolfinger and Martin Marxer are experienced options who could be brought back into the side.
Meanwhile, Westwood will need to make at least two changes to his Hong Kong side courtesy of Vas Nunez and Wu Chun Ming not featuring in this squad.
Yu Wai-Lim and Tan Chun-Lok could be drafted into the centre of defence and midfield respectively, with the rest of the team remaining the same.
Liechtenstein possible starting lineup:
B.Buchel; Weiser, Beck, Goppel; Meier, Hasler, M.Buchel, Sele, Kindle; Saglam, Luque-Notoro
Hong Kong possible starting lineup:
Yapp; Yue, Yu W, Gerbig, Chan; Yu, Tan, Chan; Poon, Udebuluzor, Juninho
We say: Liechtenstein 2-1 Hong Kong
This may just be a friendly, but Liechtenstein will throw everything into trying to end their four-year run without a win. Although Hong Kong will be the far more confident side heading into this fixture, we are backing the home team to get over the line with a hard-fought triumph.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.