Finland vs Romania prediction: EUROPE: UEFA Nations League – League B betting tips on match 2022-09-22 18:45.
Finland enter the penultimate round of fixtures in the UEFA Nations League (UNL) in a precarious position, after a 3-2 loss last time against Bosnia and Herzegovina made it consecutive defeats in Group B3. Such results has derailed what was once looking like a promising push to break into FIFA’s top 50 (currently #59), and they’ve now managed just two wins since the start of 2021 (D4, L6).
Manager Markku Kanerva will now switch focus to trying to maintain his side’s UNL League B status, which is under threat with his team sitting just one point above basement dwellers and upcoming opponents Romania. A return to Helsinki should automatically garner some confidence in the Eagle-owls camp though, given they’ve only ever lost one home UNL match (W6, D1), keeping six clean sheets in the process.
Romania’s UNL campaign thus far has been well under-par, losing three of their four matches (W1), while failing to score in each defeat. Their solitary win was in their home tie against Finland where they edged a cagey contest 1-0 and extended their undefeated H2H record to a remarkable 13 games (W9, D4). That means the Finns are now the opposition they’ve faced the most without experiencing defeat.
The Tricolours will aim to leapfrog their hosts, although registering only two wins in their last 12 away matches shows that’ll be easier said than done (D3, L7). Scoring first could well prove decisive for either side as Romania has seen at least one team fail to score in eight of their last nine internationals.
Players to watch: Finland's all-time leading goalscorer Teemu Pukki has scored his country’s opening goal in 25 of his 29 goalscoring outings, while George Puscas will look to make amends for his penalty miss in the reverse fixture, having never been on the losing side when scoring for Romania (W6, D1).
Hot stat: There’s been under 2.5 goals in eight of the last nine H2Hs.