Estonia head coach Jürgen Henn has confirmed he plans to freshen up his starting line-up for Tuesday’s Baltic Cup final against Lithuania, while also dealing with injury setbacks in attack.
Estonia booked their place in the final with a 1-0 victory over the Faroe Islands in Pärnu thanks to debutant Tony Varjund’s second-half winner. The defending champions will now face Lithuania at Tallinn’s A. Le Coq Arena in a repeat of the 2024 Baltic Cup final, which Estonia won on penalties.
However, Henn’s preparations have been complicated by injuries. Mark Anders Lepik suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during the semi-final and is expected to miss between 10 and 12 months, while experienced forward Rauno Sappinen is also unavailable.
Speaking at Monday’s press conference, Henn explained the decision to call up Karel Mustmaa and Martin Miller as replacements. “We wanted to add different options based on what we saw against the Faroe Islands and what we observed from Lithuania. We wanted players with slightly different profiles in attacking areas,” Henn said.
He also highlighted Mustmaa’s inclusion as a reward for strong performances with Estonia’s Under-21 side. “Karel has shown that if you perform well with the U21 team, it gets noticed. Martin gives us versatility as a second striker, a number ten or even a midfielder.”
Regarding Sappinen’s injury, Henn downplayed concerns about a long-term absence. “The initial prognosis was seven to ten days from the moment of injury. Hopefully he can be available again by the weekend. At the moment it doesn’t seem too serious.”
There remains some uncertainty surrounding midfielder Rocco Robert Shein, who has been linked with a summer move away from Norwegian side Fredrikstad. Henn insisted the issue is physical rather than transfer-related. “It’s more of an overload injury. He’s been playing through some discomfort for a while and hasn’t really had the chance to fully recover. Nothing is broken, but it causes enough pain to be a concern.”
With only two full days separating the semi-final and final, Henn confirmed that changes to the starting eleven are expected. “We want to bring freshness into the team and maintain the positive energy we had from the previous match. We are looking for players who can help us find the right solutions against Lithuania. We will make some changes.”
The Estonia manager expects a difficult challenge from Edgaras Jankauskas’ side, describing Lithuania as an aggressive team that likes to press high and win the ball back quickly. “They play with an aggressive style. They want to press high and regain possession high up the pitch. At times there are similarities with the Faroe Islands. They don’t want to give you much space and can also be very compact defensively.”
The atmosphere around the squad has also been affected by Lepik’s injury, although Henn praised the striker’s attitude since receiving the diagnosis. “It’s important to monitor the group dynamic. Mark himself has stayed surprisingly positive and wants to remain with the team. The squad feels for him and I think situations like this can bring people even closer together. Right now he’s chosen to stay with us and everyone is behind him.”
Tuesday’s final kicks off at A. Le Coq Arena, where Estonia will attempt to successfully defend the Baltic Cup trophy they won two years ago.
