Finland have a golden opportunity to seal their place at Euro 2020 when they host Lichtenstein on Friday evening in the penultimate game in Group J of qualifying for the European Championships.
The Nordic team are currently second in Group J, five points clear of Armenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in third and fourth place respectively. They could even qualify for Euro 2020 if either of their group rivals fail to win their games.
It would be a momentous moment for the home side, who have never qualified for a major international competition.
A 3-0 win over Armenia last time out means that Finland have won five of their last seven qualifiers. They have built their qualification campaign on solid defensive foundations, as they have kept clean sheets in all five of those victories.
2️⃣ PÄIVÄÄ OTTELUUN! 🇫🇮🆚🇱🇮Suomi on päästänyt kuluvien EM-karsintojen neljässä kotiottelussa vain 2️⃣ maalia omiin, joista molemmat syyskuussa Italiaa vastaan.Pysyykö Huuhkajien maali perjantaina koskemattomana jo kuudennen kerran näissä EM-karsinnoissa? 🚫⚽#Huuhkajat #FINLIE pic.twitter.com/qgF6PvRwrm— Huuhkajat (@Huuhkajat) November 13, 2019
2️⃣ PÄIVÄÄ OTTELUUN! 🇫🇮🆚🇱🇮Suomi on päästänyt kuluvien EM-karsintojen neljässä kotiottelussa vain 2️⃣ maalia omiin, joista molemmat syyskuussa Italiaa vastaan.Pysyykö Huuhkajien maali perjantaina koskemattomana jo kuudennen kerran näissä EM-karsinnoissa? 🚫⚽#Huuhkajat #FINLIE pic.twitter.com/qgF6PvRwrm
A record of four wins in their last six home qualifiers has made a big contribution to their chances of qualifying for next years tournament. Once again, their defensive displays have played a key role, as the Nordic team has kept clean sheets in three of their last four home qualifiers.
Liechtenstein have taken just two points from their eight group games, suffering six defeats in the process. The biggest factor in those six recent defeats has been poor defensive displays, as they have conceded at least twice in all six losses in Group J.
The visitor’s results are not that surprising considering they have lost 11 of their last 14 qualifiers for the European Championships, while also failing to win in that run of games.
To say Lichtenstein have struggled for results on their travels in qualifying would be an understatement, as they have recorded just one away victory in 33 games since first featuring in qualifying in 1994.
Forebet predicts that Finland will book their place at Euro 2020 with a victory in a low-scoring game.