Northern Ireland vs Finland – Sunday, 7:45pm
Northern Ireland will be looking to continue their perfect start to the 2024 European Championship qualifiers when they welcome Finland to Windsor Park.
Northern Ireland earned a 2-0 win over San Marino on Thursday, and manager Michael O’Neill could tweak his side as he looks to manage the game time of Josh Magennis and Conor Washington.
Shea Charles is also in contention as the Manchester City youngster looks to make an impact in the middle of the park.
Finland are not expected to make too many changes themselves. Rasmus Schuller missed Thursday’s defeat to Denmark and could return for the trip to Belfast.
Middlesbrough’s Marcus Forss is also an option for manager Markku Kanerva.
Northern Ireland endured a testing year in 2022 as they picked up just two wins from eight matches.
Results have been mixed in recent months with the national side winning two, drawing two and losing two of their last six internationals.
Interestingly, Northern Ireland’s record makes for better reading than Finland’s.
The Scandinavian outfit are on a three-match losing run and they haven’t tasted victory in five. Finland have won just one game from their last nine – a 2-0 success away against Montenegro. Both Northern Ireland and Finland are evenly matched – a point emphasised by the recent head-to-head record.
Since the turn of the century, this fixture has not been won by a margin greater than one goal.
Two of the last three games have ended in draws, while Northern Irish have also won two of three last four – both by the 2-1 scoreline.
Considering the stakes are high, we’re backing Sunday’s encounter to end in a draw.
A 1-1 scoreline in the correct score market will offer a big price. Though a simple bet in the outright market should also produce tasty odds
Suggested bets
Key stats
- Northern Ireland won two of their eight games in 2022
- Both teams to score has landed in four straight head-to-heads
- Finland are on a three-match losing run
- Finland have won just one of their last nine
*Prices subject to fluctuation.
