Finland will take on Greece in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday, 17 November with the visitors still hoping to finish on top of League B, Group Two.
Greece were leapfrogged by England on Thursday night after their home defeat to the Three Lions but with the two sides locked together on 12 points they could still finish on top of the group if they win in Helsinki and England fail to beat Ireland.
Finland, meanwhile, have nothing to play for after already being resigned to relegation in League C. They have picked up zero points in five Nations League matches so far this campaign.
How the bookies view it: The visitors start as favourites
Greece come into the match as the favourites with the bookies but they aren't priced as short as you might expect given that their opponents are yet to pick up a point in the group. Betfred have priced a Finland win at 11/4 while a victory for Greece has been priced at 21/20. The draw, which would be a better result for the hosts, has been priced at 9/4
Recent head-to-head: Encouragement for both sides
The last five results in matches between Finland and Greece offer encouragement for both nations. For Greece, they will point to the fact that they have won three of their last four matches against the Fins while Finland will point to the fact that they have won both of their home recent home clashes against Greece.
Players to watch: A strong Greek spine
A big reason why this Greece side has sprung into life and performed so well during this Nations League campaign has a lot to do with how impressive the spine of their team is.
In goal, they have Odysseas Vlachodimos who was the Benfica number one for a number of years and directly in front of him leading the backline is West Ham's Konstantinos Mavropanos. The 26-year-old has become a regular for the club this season and is a hugely important figure at the back for the national team.
At the heart of the Greek midfield is Christos Zafeiris who is making a name for himself in the Czech Republic with Slavia Prague. At the age of 21, big things are expected of Zafeiris in the years to come and a move to a bigger club in Europe is very much on the cards. Unfortunately, he sits this one out due to suspension.
Finally, spearheading their attack is the jewel in their crown, Vangelis Pavlidis. The 25-year-old netted 33 goals for AZ Alkmaar last season which earned him a big-money move to Portugal.
Predicted line-ups
As mentioned, Zafeiris will miss this one due to suspension and he will be replaced by Dimitrios Kourbelis, who is returning from suspension. Finland could be without Matti Peltola after he was forced off early against Ireland.
Finland: Hradecky – O'Shaughnessy, Ivanov, Hoskonen – Niskanen, Kamara, Kairinen, Uronen – Lod, Pukki, Hakans
Greece: Vlachodimos – Rota, Mavropanos, Hatzidiakos, Giannoulis – Siopis, Kourbelis – Masouras, Bakasetas, Tzolis – Pavlidis
Anything else catch the eye?
Greece have score two goals in both of their other away matches in this group and given that Finland are widely accepted as the weakest team in the group, it would be a surprise if they didn't manage to continue that pattern here. Greece to score over 1.5 goals has been priced at 11/8 by Betfred.
This UEFA Nations League match between Finland and Greece will be played on Nov 17, 2024 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Finland vs Greece prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
