Republic of Ireland
UEFA Nations League
League B
Sun , Sep 06 , 2020 18:00
0 - 1
Finland
Republic of Ireland
Finland
0 - 1
The second edition of the UEFA Nations League didn't start well for the Republic of Ireland and Finland who will meet on Sunday at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Republic of Ireland team captain, central defender Shane Duffy showed once again that his teammates can count on him in the desperate times and rescued new national coach Stephen Kenny in his first game in charge with an equalizing header in the dying moment in the game with Bulgaria in Sofia.
After an encouraging first-half display when they controlled the game, they showed a lack of quality in the final third. Connolly failed to capitalize on their best chance after robbing Georgiev of the ball inside his box. They even upped the tempo in the second half and had 63% possession but their central defender duo, Duffy and Egan were caught on the wrong foot after a through ball by Ivanov from the middle of the pitch and Bozhidar Kraev slotted the ball behind Randolph. They managed to gain a valuable point at the end after missing several chances from the set-pieces. They tried once again, Hourihane floated a well-positioned corner into the danger area and it was an easy task for Duffy to find the net for the final 1-1 draw. Match stats suggested that Ireland was a better team with 14 shots but only 3 on target and that is something that must be changed in the next matches. Kenny met his squad for the first time this week but has made it clear what way he wants them to play football and showed that vs Bulgaria.
The former Dundalk boss replaced Mick McCarthy, who stepped down from the job early due to the coronavirus pandemic, back in April. His side attacked from the start and tried to get forward at every attempt in a much different approach to what was usual before from the Ireland team, but it did leave them very open at the back on several occasions, so they could be vulnerable at the back against a better team than Bulgaria is in this moment.
Finland will take part in Euro 2020 next summer but failed to convert their chances against the rejuvenated Wales side that won 1-0 in Helsinki. They started comfortably that match and eager to crash Wales defense with a back five without the ball but a linesman decision separated them at the start from a conceding a goal when Moore headed beyond goalkeeper Hradecky but after he pushed Vaisanen for an attacking foul and goal was rightly disallowed. That dangerous Wales action showed that the Finland side is very prone to defensive mistakes after a good transition from the visitors and after that moment Wales played very direct football and eases their way to host penalty box but Hradecky in couple occasions saved his team.
Finland front two Pohjanpalo and Pukki had problems creating danger themselves without help from midfielders so they didn't see too much of the ball in Wales territory in the first half. After a probably good talk in the dressing room, Finland has started the better in this second half and Wales was struggling to get out and at that moment Finish team had their best chance when Pohjanpalo headed back across the goal to Vaisanen, who hit the post from few yards. That big miss shocked both sides who had a difficult time to create anything until ten minutes from the end when talented Man Utd winger James connected with the Davies pass and sent a low ball into the six-yard box where Moore was first to react and sidefooted ball past Hradecky and Wales scored for final 1-0 win.
Finland wasn't on their usual levels and they had a very hard time going forward in the game with the team who plays on the counter-attacks and defends with almost all men behind the ball. On the other side, their only chance came from good transition and rivals mistake, so the change of styles could change and make them more comfortable on the pitch with a rival that wants to dominate the ball as Ireland tried in-game vs Bulgaria.
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This match is very difficult to predict but the home side could be a legitimate favorite to win. They are very dangerous at set-pieces with talisman captain Shane Duffy who scored four goals in the last four UNL matches, all headers. On the other side, Pukki looks out of form, after a brilliant Premier League start last season, his inability to score on a regular level was one of the reasons that Norwich was relegated at the end. In a battle of star players on decent sides, we go with Duffy to score and Republic Ireland to win.
So, my final Ireland vs Finland Prediction is Ireland to win.
4-2-3-1
4-3-3
Republic of Ireland
Finland
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Daniel Garcia is originally from Basque Country, and as a kid who grew up just a few streets from Mendizorrotza Stadium, the choice of Deportivo Alavés as his favourite club is more than obvious. Because of his studies, he moved to Madrid where he graduated in Sports Journalism. Daniel plays football on the weekends, but that does not stop him from watching all La Liga matches. He believes that the outcome of a match can be predicted if all the parameters are analyzed well, including form of the players and weather conditions. Currently he is living in Belgrade, and is in love with a Serbian girl who works as a journalist at one of the famous Sport Channels in Serbia.