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Preview: Finland vs. Denmark – Team news and prediction
A Nordic clash as Finland hosts Denmark at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.
This could be a crucial match in Group H as the first-place team faces the second-placed team. Finland currently leads the group with 12 points, followed closely by Denmark and Slovenia with 10 points each. If Finland wins this match, they will have a 5-point lead over Denmark, putting them in a strong position for qualification to the European Championship in Germany. On the other hand, if Denmark wins, they will take over the top spot in the group and have a good chance of advancing, having already played both matches against Finland and with Slovenia on home turf.
Finland secured an important victory on Thursday, defeating Kazakhstan 1-0 away from home. This was a crucial match because Kazakhstan, with 3 points, could have still contended for the top two spots. They still have a chance with 9 points, but Finland's win appears to distance them. Denmark, on the other hand, had a routine 4-0 victory at home against San Marino. Considering they played at home with a packed stadium against one of the world's weakest national teams, the win perhaps should have been more substantial. However, a win is a win, and Denmark earned 3 points without any injuries, preparing them for the decisive match against Finland.
Finland current form in all competitions:
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Denmark current form in all competitions:
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Team news:
National coach Markku Kanerva is expected to field the same starting eleven as the one used in Kazakhstan. This means a 3-4-3 formation with two wingbacks, which appears to be a good decision to counter Denmark's wide play and full-backs, which are often a significant part of their game. Oliver Antman was the match winner in the last game, and he is likely to be rewarded with another start alongside the key players Joel Pohjanpalo and Teemu Pukki.
Denmark will be without Benfica defender Alexander Bah, so national coach Kasper Hjulmand has called up two replacements: Rasmus Nissen from Roma and Victor Kristiansen from Bologna. Rasmus Hojlund from Manchester United was on the bench against San Marino due to a minor injury he has been dealing with since his transfer to United, but he is expected to start as a forward. This means that Wolfsburg's Jonas Wind will be moved to the attacking midfield position. Jonas Wind scored against San Marino and is also in top form in the Bundesliga, where he is a joint top scorer.
Mathias Jensen is expected to start on the bench against Finland, so the central midfield is likely to feature Christian Eriksen and Pierre Hoejbjerg. While Kasper Hjulmand has occasionally changed the formation to a 3-5-2, it is expected that he will go with a classic 4-3-3 formation, as seen against San Marino.
Finland predicted lineup:
Hradecky; Hoskonen, Ivanov, Jensen; Alho, Kairinen, Schuller, Niskanen; Antman, Pohjenpalo, Pukki
Denmark predicted lineup:
Schmeichel; Larsen, Kjaer, Andersen, Maehle;, Hojbjerg, Eriksen; Wind, Olsen, Hojlund, Poulsen
Prediction:
This is going to be a very tactical match where neither of the teams wants to lose. Denmark won the first match in the qualifiers 3-1, so it might be tempting to bet on many goals in the game. However, we believe it will be the opposite – a tactical battle where both teams will be cautious in the early stages, prioritizing structure. The first goal will be crucial, and even though Finland is playing at home, Denmark should be considered slight favorites. We suggest betting on under 2.5 goals in the match at odds of 1.75
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