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England’s fresh start under interim boss Lee Carsely delivered plenty of promise as they kickstarted their UEFA Nations League (UNL) Group B2 campaign with a 2-0 victory in Dublin over Republic of Ireland. Many felt there was more freedom to the Three Lions’ play when compared to what we saw in the latter stages of Gareth Southgate’s tenure, a feeling backed up by the fact they registered more shots on target and a higher xG in the game than they did in any Euro 2024 contest.
Saturday evening’s victory came as no great shock given England are favourites to bounce straight back following their surprise relegation from Group A in the last UNL cycle. They’ll now look to strengthen their position in the group by dispatching Finland, a side ranked 59 places lower (#63) than England (#4) by FIFA, and a dominant H2H record of no loss in 11 meetings should only further enhance confidence in the home camp (W9, D2).
In stark contrast, it was another bleak evening for Finland who were beaten 3-0 away to Greece, extending their recent run to just one win in five internationals (D1, L3). This is a third successive campaign in League B for Markku Kanerva’s men who have achieved top two finishes on each of the last two occasions, yet the manner of their loss to Greece, combined with sharing a group with the likes of England, makes a repeat of that feat seem a tall order at present.
Finland still have a respectable record at this level of UNL, winning six of their 13 matches (D2, L5), although four of their last five trips to foreign shores have ended in defeat (W1). Another loss will likely follow unless they can plug their leaky defence, as defeat in Greece was the third game from that run that saw them concede exactly three goals.
Players to watch: Harry Kane is on the cusp of reaching the 100 club for the Three Lions after securing his 99th senior cap in the win over Ireland, and he’s scored eight goals across his last seven home appearances for England. Benjamin Källman was Finland’s last away scorer in this competition back in September 2022, and he registered five goal contributions in three games (G2, A3) for his club side Cracovia prior to the international break.
Hot stat: England are without a win at Wembley in any of their past three matches there (Brazil 1-0, Belgium 2-2 & Iceland 1-0).
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