Match for the World Cup European qualifiers, at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Helsinki.
What We Know
- In their last two duels, both international friendlies, Poland scored five times (5-1, 5-0).
- Four of Finland’s last five games ended with under 2.5 goals.
Betting Tip Finland - Poland
Finland put in a troubling performance against the Netherlands, while Poland continued their underwhelming and underperforming record. The latter is the superior and more talented team, but our pick here is 2 or 3 goals scored, covering a wider range of potential results.
- Betting tip: 2 or 3 goals
- Odds: 1.95 (at the time of writing)
- Stake: 5
Finland
Finland entered the game against the Netherlands aware that it would be a tall order, something that was proven true after the Finns fell to the Dutch, two goals to zero. They conceded the first goal in the 6th minute, and the second just 17 minutes later.
Finland’s defensive issues were very much on manager Jacob Friis’s mind, but new issues have arisen on the attacking side. Against the Netherlands, the Finnish accumulated just five shots, worth only 0.20 xG. Even in the second half, down two goals, the team was not able to create chances and threaten the Dutch.
It was Finland’s first defeat in the group stage, following a 1-0 win against Malta in the premiere, and the 2-2 draw away at Lithuania a few days ago. That result might be the one that dooms Finland’s chances for a second-place finish. In that game, the Finns took an early 2-0 lead in the first two minutes, but eventually conceded twice to an inferior side.
Poland
Poland put in the minimum amount of effort to come away with a win in Friday's international friendly against Moldova, earning a 2-0 victory. The team scored a goal in each half, despite missing star forward Robert Lewandowski.
Right-back Cash scored right at the half-hour mark, and midfielder Slisz doubled the Polish lead just before the final whistle (88’). Truth be told, the Poles did not perform impressively in their recent Nations League matches, finishing last in League A’s Group 1, tallying just 4 points against Portugal, Scotland, and Croatia, and getting relegated to League B.
Thankfully, the team was able to win their more manageable games for the World Cup European qualifiers, earning victories against Lithuania (1-0) and Malta (2-0), for the 2-0-0 record. Still, the performances have not been great, especially considering their lack of easy scoring conversions against competition that is not quite at their level.
The game against Finland will determine whether they can qualify for the top national teams competition. After that, they will face the Dutch twice in September, with one game at home, followed by another away in the Netherlands.
