Estonia will be without forwards Getter Saar (Flora Tallinn), Emma Treiberg (Saku Sporting) and Sandra Pärn (JK Tabasalu) as well as defender Helina Tarkmeel (Flora Tallinn) for the tournament due to injury.

According to joint head coach Sirje Kapper, Estonia go into the Baltic Cup aiming to retain the title they won in 2022. "We want to show that the title still belongs to us. The tournament is also good preparation for the Nations League games in February. Hopefully, we can put together a nice end to the year," said Kapper.

Just like in 2022, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will be joined by guests the Faeroe Islands for this edition of the Baltic Cup. The format of the tournament will see both semi-finals played on Thursday, with the winners meeting in the final and the losers playing each other for third place.

In 2022, Estonia beat Lithuania 4-1 in the semis before claiming the trophy for the eleventh time thanks to a 3-1 win over the Faeroes in the final.

However, Kapper is also well aware of the threat posed by Lithuania.

"The fact that they didn't reach the final (last time) is a bitter memory for them. They are very determined to take the title and we want to defend it," Kapper told ERR. "The last time we played in the Baltic Cup, their team was struggling a lot with injuries and now they are not."

The Estonian squad will be boosted by the inclusion of a number of players plying their trade abroad, including winger Liisa Merisalu, who joined Danish top-flight club Thy-Thisted Q in the summer.

"I'm very, very happy, it was one of the best decisions of my life, I'm really grateful that such a challenge came my way," Merisalu told ERR of her move to Denmark.

"I think I've settled in very quickly. Scandinavian football is quite similar – it's technical, fast and the players are very skillful, which adds to the quality of the games," she said.

Merisalu is not expecting Lithuania to be easy opponents in Thursday's semi-final but remains confident that Estonia will defend their title in Riga.

"They are certainly very physical, so we have to be ready for those duels, but we are also prepared to exploit their weaknesses. I believe we can take advantage of them with our game and make the most of our chances. I'm sure we can win this game, there is no doubt about it," Merisalu said.

The 2024 Women's Baltic Cup kicks off at 1 p.m. on Thursday October 24 at the Jānis Skredelis Stadium, when Estonia takes on Lithuania. At 7 p.m. the same day, the Faeroe Islands meet Latvia in the second semi-final at LNK Sporta Parks.

The final and the third place play-off are both scheduled for three days later on October 27.

All matches in the competition can be followed live on Soccernet TV here.

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