The Republic of Ireland finally got off the mark in this season's UEFA Nations League with a win in Helsinki and will be looking to do the double when Finland pitch up at the Aviva Stadium.
New gaffer Heimir Hallgrimsson is a qualified dentist and it's fair to say his reign has suffered a few teething troubles, with three defeats out of four in Group B2.
That 2-1 victory in Helsinki, which bust the coupon of our man Gavin, hinted at lift-off for the Icelandic coach but they came crashing back to earth with a 2-0 loss in Greece as two bets landed for Slips Tips.
It's all about building for the World Cup qualifiers but Hallgrimsson needs to get some wins on the board to boost morale, starting with the visit of the Finns.
It has been an even worse Nations League campaign for Finland so far, with all four of their games ending in defeats. Long-serving manager Markku Kanerva needs to find a way to halt that slump and will targeting at least one win from the final two games against the Irish and Greece.
How the bookies view it: Irish backed to do the double
After winning against the Finns away from home, it's no surprise to see the Republic of Ireland as Betano's 13/20 favourites in Dublin. Finland are 17/4 outsiders and the draw pays 12/5.
Head to head: Finns foiled for the hat-trick
Ireland's win in Helsinki stopped Finland from making it three victories in a row in this fixture after they edged both Nations League matches 1-0 in season 2020/21. But those are the only two games the Irish have lost to the Finns and they edge the overall head-to-head thanks to four victories and two draws.
Players to watch: Evan's above
When Evan Ferguson first broke onto the scene at Brighton it looked they had a superstar on their hands. He hasn't quite pushed on since then and has played second fiddle to Danny Welbeck for the Seagulls this season. The striker is still the best Irish forward by a fair distance though and he's 9/4 at Bet365 for anytime scorer.
Kanerva has been chopping and changing up front so it's best staying clear of backing a Finnish centre forward to score. Midfielder Robin Lod should get the nod and is a decent option for anytime scorer, having scored seven times for Minnesota United in the MLS this term. He's 17/2 to add to his tally in Dublin.
Probable line-ups
Seamus Coleman, Shane Duffy and Adam Idah have all pulled out of the Irish squad with injuries and they've been replaced by Matt Doherty, Jake O'Brien and Ryan Manning.
Finland boss Kanerva has made a few changes, with Aberdeen winger Topi Keskinen left out of his squad along with Fredrik Jensen, Adam Stahl, Tomas Galvez, Leo Vaisanen and Leo Walta. Veteran Teemu Pukki will fight it out with Benjamin Kallman and Joel Pohjanpalo to start up front.
Republic of Ireland: Kelleher, O'Dowda, Scales, Collins, O'Shea, Cullen, Knight, Johnston, Szmodics, Parrott, Ferguson
Finland: Hradecky, Alho, Hoskonen, Ivanov, Uronen, Schuller, Pelota, Kamara, Antman, Lod, Kallman.
Anything else catch the eye?
Finland have been firing blanks on the road so far in this Nations League campaign but they're up against an Irish defence that has yet to keep a clean sheet. So it's hard to predict if this game will see a few goals or be a war of attrition. The odds on BTTS are pretty decent at 6/5 with Betano so I'm going to take a punt on Kanerva's side finally finding their shooting boots.
What was striking about the game in Helsinki was how few corners we saw, with just four across the whole game. Ireland's home games with England and Greece both produced fewer than six corners too so it looks like betting against a lot of flag kicks may be a smart move. Under 7.5 corners pays 23/20 at Betano.
This UEFA Nations League match between Republic of Ireland and Finland will be played on Nov 14, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Republic of Ireland vs Finland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
