Finland v Rep of Ireland

Finland vs Ireland Preview

The other game in Group 2 on Thursday night sees an encounter between the two bottom nations in the group with both Finland and Republic of Ireland still looking to earn their first points in this Nations League campaign.

Finland will be relieved to be returning to the home surroundings of their Helsingin olympiastadion for this upcoming matchday 3 clash following back-to-back away ties which both resulted in defeats for Markku Kanerva's side after being handed losses on the road at Greece and England respectively.

Prior to the start of this new Nations League competition, Finland had suffered a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Portugal but had then held Scotland to a 2-2 draw at Hampden Park but the bigger picture shows the Fins have managed to capture just three wins from their last 11 matches overall.

Victories over Northern Ireland, San Marino and Estonia have been outweighed by being dealt seven defeats as well, suggesting the straight win market should be avoided; however, the goals market appeals as six of Finland's last 11 games have resulted in both teams scoring.

Results on home soil haven't been much better as Finland have collected just six wins from their previous 20 home games in all competitions.

Republic of Ireland have produced a very similar start to this Nations League campaign as that of their hosts as the Irish have slipped to defeats at home to England and Greece which means the visitors have also failed to pick up any points yet in this new term.

Wins in general have been hard to come by for Heimir Hallgrimsson's side as the Rep of Ireland have registered just two wins from their previous 12 internationals in all competitions which came in the form of victories against Gibraltar and Hungary respectively.

These rare victories have been offset by no fewer than eight defeats though which also suggests the straight win markets should be avoided where the Irish are concerned but although results away from home have also been fairly disappointing, picking up three wins but also slipping to six losses as well, the visitors have managed to hit the back of the net in six of their last 10 outings on the road.

The bigger picture shows Rep of Ireland have gained just five wins within their last 24 away games, thus further underlining their difficulties that they've experienced on the road.

Finland v Ireland Verdict

Both Finland and Rep of Ireland seem fairly evenly matched having both picked up two wins apiece in the last four meetings, so it would come as no surprise if both teams hit the back of the net here at the Helsingin olympiastadion on Thursday night in a fixture which could end up being a score-draw.

Therefore, our main bet will be BTTS Yes @ 1.66

Other side bets worth considering:

Draw @ 3.00

Correct Score: 1-1 @ 6.00