The 2020/21 UEFA Nations League kicks off on Thursday, with Finland welcoming Wales to the Helsinki Olympic Stadium in League B, Group 4.
It’s fair to say that Finland haven’t been a force in European football in recent years. But last season, they put themselves back on the map.
Finland finished at the top of their previous Nations League group, ahead of Hungary, Greece and Estonia, while keeping a clean sheet in each of their home games during that campaign.
Better still, Finland won six of their ten Euro 2020 qualifiers to finish second in Group J and qualify for their first ever European Championship.
Remarkably, Finland keep four clean sheets on home soil during that period, keeping out Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia and Liechtenstein, and only conceded once against group winners Italy.
Finland’s previous outing ended in defeat, as Greece secured a 2-1 win over Markku Kanerva’s men back in November 2019.
On the other hand, Wales finished second in their last Nations League group, after securing back-to-back wins over Republic of Ireland but losing twice to Denmark.
Ryan Giggs’ side also qualified for next year’s European Championship, finishing second in Group E, behind Croatia and ahead of Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan.
Wales only managed to score ten goals across their eight games during that campaign, but they finished with the best defensive record in Group E.
Wales’ most recent encounter also came back in November, with Aaron Ramsey netting a double in a 2-0 win over Hungary.
Head-to-head: Finland and Wales last met in a friendly game back in 2013, and the two sides played out a 1-1 draw on that occasion.
Mae’n braf bod nôl 😎It’s been a while...but it’s good to be back 🏴#TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/31Uz1lVKph— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) August 31, 2020
Mae’n braf bod nôl 😎It’s been a while...but it’s good to be back 🏴#TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/31Uz1lVKph
Overall, the two teams have met 12 times previously, with both sides picking up four wins and the other four games being drawn.
Team news: It goes without saying that Teemu Pukki is Finland’s main man. The Norwich City striker is a genuine goal threat, Glen Kamara (Rangers) and Lukas Hradecky (Bayer Leverkusen) are also in the squad.
As for Wales, Neil Taylor and Sam Vokes won’t feature on Thursday, while Aaron Ramsey and David Brooks have pulled out of the squad due to injury.
Star man Gareth Bale is fit to face Finland, although he is short on match fitness after barely featuring for Real Madrid towards the end of last season.
Following on from a hugely successful Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, Finland are expected to edge Wales on Thursday.
Forebet predicts that Finland will keep a clean sheet on their way to victory over Wales.