Another Nations League game is on the way between Finland and Ireland this Thursday. Finland will host the hopeful Irish at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, and with both teams needing a win, this could be a classic.
With that in mind, join us in running through a quick preview while checking out our top tips right here.
How the bookies view it: Ireland marginal favourites
There isn’t much separating these teams in terms of ability and form. For that reason, the bookies have this game priced tightly, with Ireland slightly ahead. Specifically, the home team, Finland, has odds of 15/8 to win on home turf. In contrast, Ireland has odds of 8/5 right now, which puts them marginally ahead of Finland concerning win probabilities.
Head-to-head: Finland out in front
Finland and Ireland have only competed against one another on a couple of occasions. Both of these games were played in the Nations League back in 2020. Interestingly, Finland beat Ireland in both of those games with a score of 1-0. This included both home and away matches, so those results are definitely relevant for this one.
Of course, these results show that Ireland has never actually scored against Finland. And with Ireland yet to score in their opening two games of the Nations League, it’s certainly possible for this streak to continue.
Players to watch: Teemu Pukki and Troy Parrott
Starting with Teemu Pukki, who has previously been a Premier League player – he is the all-time leading scorer for Finland. Naturally, this makes him one to watch for this clash. With more than 40 international goals in his name, the 34-year-old still has a fair bit of magic in him. Furthermore, given his experience, he is a man who the Finnish players look to for leadership.
As for Ireland, they also have a great goalscorer in their ranks, Troy Parrott. The man from Dublin has been tearing it up in the Eredivisie this season, scoring 8 goals in 5 league games so far.
Should you wish to cover these guys as any-time scorers for Finland vs Ireland, you can take Pukki at 27/10 odds or Parrott at 16/5 odds at Betano.
Predicted lineups
Ireland are looking likely to make many changes for this game, based on the absences of Robinson, Doherty, and others. As for Finland, despite some formational changes, their starting 11 won’t differ all that much from recent Nations League games.
Finland possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Stahl, Hoskonen, Ivanov, Galvez; Peltola, Schuller; Jensen, Kamara, Antman; Pukki
Ireland possible starting lineup:
Kelleher; Ebosele, Collins, O'Shea, Brady; Molumby, Cullen, Knight; Ogbene, Idah, Szmodics
Anything else catch the eye?
In both meetings between these teams, there has been just one goal scored. As mentioned previously, Finland scored in each game, but the relatively low-scoring history suggests an ‘under 2.5 goals' bet is a good call. The odds for this are 10/21 at Betano right now.
Secondly, if you’d like to push the boat out a little further, Finland’s Fredrik Jensen scored both goals against Ireland in previous games. And you can cover him to score at a price of 5/1 at the moment.
This UEFA Nations League match between Finland and Ireland will be played on Oct 10, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Finland vs Ireland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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