England host Finland in the UEFA Nations League contest on Tuesday night and they will look to build on their win over Ireland at the weekend.
England picked up a 2-0 win over Ireland in Dublin last time out, and they will be confident heading into the game against Finland as well.
The Three Lions are undoubtedly the better team here, and they will be firm favourites heading into this contest. They will be expected to pick up a comfortable victory at home, and it remains to be seen whether the players can step up and deliver.
Meanwhile, Finland are coming into this game on the back of a 3-0 defeat against Greece, and this will be an uphill challenge for them. This is their first meeting with England since 2001, and they have struggled against the Three Lions historically. They are massive underdogs heading into this game, and it is fair to assume that they will come up short here.
Team news and tactics
England
England will be without the services of Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins, and Phil Foden. All three players have withdrawn from the squad due to fitness concerns or illness. Other than that, Lee Carsley has a fully-fit squad to choose from. Given their performance last time out, he could stick with the same starting lineup.
England are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Jordan Pickford in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Levi Colwill will start as the full backs here, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Marc Guehi will start outside Harry Maguire in the central defensive pairing.
Declan Rice will start alongside Kobbie Mainoo in the midfield pivot, and they will look to win the ball back for their side well protect the defensive unit. Jack Grealish will start in the attacking midfield role, and he will look to carve out opportunities in the final third. Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon will add pace, flair and creativity from the flanks. Harry Kane will lead the line for England here.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Guehi, Maguire, Colwill; Mainoo, Rice; Gordon, Grealish, Saka; Kane
Finland
Rasmus Schuller picked up an injury against Greece on Saturday, and he is expected to miss out here. Other than that, Finland have a fully-fit squad to choose from. The visitors are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Lukas Hradecky in goal.
Adam Stahl and Tomas Galvez will start as the fullbacks. They will look to keep things compact to defensively and help out during counter-attacking situations. Arttu Hoskonen and Robert Ivanov will start at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Matt Peltola will start alongside Urho Nissila. They will look to protect the defensive unit and break up opposition attacks. Glen Kamara will start as the central attacking midfielder, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Robin Lod will start alongside Oliver Antman in the wide areas. They will look to add pace and flair on the counter. Finally, Teemu Pukki will lead the line for Finland.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hradecky; Stahl, Hoskonen, Ivanov, Galvez; Peltola, Nissila; Lod, Kamara, Antman; Pukki
Key Stats
- England are unbeaten against Finland across the 11 official matches they have played.
- Finland have only scored seven goals in 11 previous encounters with England.
- Teemu Pukki has been directly involved in 12 goals in 18 appearances in the Nations League.
- Harry Kane is likely to be handed his 100th cap for England tomorrow.
Player to Watch
Bukayo Saka
The Arsenal winger did quite well in his last outing, and he has been impressive form for the Gunners as well. He will look to cause all sorts of problems for the Finnish defence with his pace, flair and goalscoring ability. Saka has the quality to exploit the gaps in the Finland defence, and he is our key player to watch out for.
Prediction
England 3-0 Finland
England are a far better team compared to Finland, and they are full of confidence right now. They should be able to build on the win over Ireland with another comfortable victory here. The gulf in class between the two sides is immense, and the controversy-stricken Lee Carsley should be able to guide his team to another victory here.
Finland have struggled against England over the years, and they are likely to crash to yet another defeat here. They were thoroughly outplayed by Greece, and an opposition like England is likely to put them to the sword once again. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for the Three Lions.
