Finland vs Lithuania prediction: EUROPE: World Cup – Qualification betting tips on match 2025-10-08 16:00.
[p]Just four rounds of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (WCQ) remain for Group G, as Finland continue their push for a top-two finish when they host Lithuania. [/p]
[p]Match News and Current Form[/p]
[p]Finland’s hopes of securing a first-ever World Cup finals appearance are now out of their hands after a potentially damaging 3-1 defeat away at Poland in their previous WCQ game, which has seen them win only one of their last five internationals (D1, L3). What’s equally as damaging is the fact they are without a single clean sheet to their name since winning 1-0 in Malta during their first game of this cycle. The Eagle-owls are now perilously close to adding an unsuccessful WCQ campaign to their recent UEFA Nations League B (UNL) relegation, and that’s in part due to their ongoing struggles on home soil. A 2-1 WCQ win against Poland in June ended a run of four consecutive home losses, and head coach Jacob Friis will hope to continue that resurgence in form here. [/p]
[p]Lithuania will be formally eliminated from this competition with defeat here, and that would not come as a surprise for a team sitting 145th in the FIFA rankings after finishing with seven (W1) and six (W1, D3) losses respectively in each of the last two WCQ cycles. Head coach Edgaras Jankauskas drew plenty of positives from a 3-2 defeat at home to the Netherlands in their previous WCQ match, as he looked ahead to their final two qualifiers with a degree of confidence that his side can upset the odds and beat one of Europe’s elite in the near future.[/p]
[p]Head-to-Head History[/p]
[p]The 2-2 draw in Lithuania in the reverse fixture was the only previous competitive meeting between these teams, following a run of four friendlies where these nations shared two victories each. [/p]
[p]Hot Stats and Streaks[/p]
[p]Five of Finland’s last six wins were by a one-goal margin. [/p]
[p]Finland have not scored more than twice in any of their last 17 games. [/p]
[p]Seven of Lithuania’s last 11 games saw both teams score and over 2.5 total goals. [/p]
[p]Six of Lithuania’s last seven losses were by a one-goal margin. [/p]
[p]Key Players to Watch and Missing Players[/p]
[p]Joel Pohjanpalo opened the scoring for Serie B side Palermo at the weekend, and Finland have only been defeated once in eight previous goalscoring appearances for his country (W6, D1). Edgaras Dubickas has scored four goals in his last six appearances for Serie C club Ternana, and will be aiming to make an impact in what could be his first cap in more than four years. [/p]
[p]Finland’s injury list includes Monaco goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, while Lithuania appear to come into this window with no major injury concerns.[/p]
[p]For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.[/p]
[p]Betting Analysis[/p]
[p]Finland are not known to be prolific goalscorers, but Lithuania’s recent knack of keeping things tight means betting on Finland to win by one goal is a decent shout. [/p]
[p][i]Author: Aaron Murphy[/i][/p]