Match Preview: Finland 0-1 Russia Prediction and Betting Tips | Euro 2020

Finland – Russia Prediction and Tips for today, June 16, 2021

Finland – Russia Match Preview

• Finland ended a run of six without a win (D2, L4) to claim three points over Denmark in their UEFA European Championship (Euros) debut, albeit in unwelcome circumstances after Christian Eriksen was taken seriously ill during the match. A win here would all but assure progression to the knock-outs – continuing a trend seen in 2016 that saw four of five debutants progress from the group stage. Furthermore, all nine nations who won in the opening round of fixtures in the last edition qualified via a top-two spot.
• With Belgium their last opponents in the group stage, the ‘Eagle-owls’ will be desperate to get the job done against Russia, but their H2H record isn’t inspiring having lost the last four meetings and conceding over 2.5 goals in each. However, Finland will have hope given the gap in quality has closed enormously since their last meeting in 2009, exemplified by 74 FIFA World Ranking spots between them ten years ago (FIN: #86, RUS: #12) to just 16 now (FIN: #54, RUS: #38).
• Russia’s unsurprising defeat to group favourites Belgium doesn’t change the picture too significantly for them. Perhaps worryingly, only three teams have lost their group opener and progressed in the last two tournaments (only one since the format change); each won both remaining games – a not impossible task for Russia.
• On home soil once again, Russia will be hoping to resurrect some of their 2018 World Cup form which saw them progress to the quarter-finals before losing to eventual finalist Croatia on penalties. That strong home form has continued to this day, with just two competitive defeats, each to Belgium, since (W7, D3).
• Players to watch: Finland’s Teemu Pukki and Russia’s Artem Dzuyba need three and two goals, respectively, to become the outright top scorers for their nations. Both players are goalless in their last four internationals.
• Hot stat: Playing as ‘Russia’ after the breakup of the Soviet Union (since the 1994 World Cup), Russia have never progressed from consecutive group stages at major tournaments.