Republic of Ireland vs Finland Predictions

• Finland have lost each of their four Nations League games so far
• The Irish won 2-1 in Finland last month
• Finland have lost four of their five away trips in 2024, conceding 15 goals

Finns face the drop

After losing each of their first four games in this Nations League campaign, Finland sit bottom of the standings heading into November’s double-header. A 2-1 home loss to the Republic of Ireland last month has put the Finns on the verge of relegation to the Nations League’s third-tier. A defeat on Thursday would see their fate confirmed.

With England sitting in second on nine points, there’s little scope for the Irish to climb above third place. However, a victory on Thursday would represent progress for new Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson.

Irish have the edge

Finland have endured a tough 2024, starting with a 4-1 loss to Wales in the playoffs to make last summer’s Euros. The Finns have gone on to a six-game winless run, in which they’ve lost five times. The Finns were able to salvage a 2-2 draw at Scotland thanks to Craig Gordon’s late mistake at Hampden, with the Scots taking their foot off the gas when 2-0 up late on.

Outside of that visit to Hampden, the Finns have lost all four away games in 2024. They were beaten 3-0 in Greece and 2-0 in England, while they were thumped 4-2 in Portugal in June.

While the Irish have their issues, this looks like a kind fixture for Hallgrimsson, who has lost three of his first four matches in charge. The former Iceland boss has named an attack-heavy squad, which features Evan Ferguson, the Eredivisie’s second-highest scorer Troy Parrott and Ipswich Town’s Sammie Szmodics.

Stoke’s Tom Cannon is also likely to add to his single cap, having scored in three of his last four Championship games.

The Irish have creative players behind them like Finn Azaz and Mikey Johnston, so they can exploit a Finland side who have conceded 15 goals across five trips in 2024. The visitors have scored just twice in four Nations League games, so the Irish can triumph despite their own defensive concerns.