Russia will have the home advantage at Saint Petersburg Stadium, as Finland take on their direct rivals for a possible third-best qualifying berth, or better from group B, in a game set to entertain us in the early kick off.
Finland beat the Danish Dynamite by the slimmest of margins, while the Russians come into the clash smarting from a 3-0 humbling at the hands of the world’s number one ranked nation, Belgium.
With so much at stake, this could very well be one of the gripping games of football during the early stages of the tournament. Can Finland replicate Iceland’s recent football underdog fairytale on the international stage? Read on to find out…
Euro 2020: Group B
Wednesday 16 June
Saint Petersburg Stadium
15:00
To Win
Finland 52/10
Draw 26/10
Russia 6/10
Finland
The Eagle-owls would’ve surely been affected by the tragic incident we witnessed in their opening game with Denmark. A few days later, fortunately we all have still have our number 10, Christian Eriksen.
Being involved in such a humbling experience could bring the best out of the hopeful debutants, who will realise how lucky they are to be in such a strong position after collecting maximum points against the much-fancied Danish Dynamite.
Finland will come all guns blazing in Russia as they realistically have little, to no chance, against Belgium with Romelu Lukaku’s form reminiscent of Chelsea and Ivory Coast legend Didier Drogba’s presence and goal scoring prowess at the moment.
Finland will have to keep the same defensive solidarity, while opening up and taking more chances on the offense that could yield profitable dividends. Personally, I feel the ageing Russian defence is there for the taking and Finland have a real chance of spooking the bookies favourites, Russia.
Russia
Russia did little to impress against Belgium but maybe scouting their possible potential against one of the best teams on the planet isn’t fair to them.
However, a player that I rate very highly, Denis Cheryshev, was left out of the starting 11 against Belgium, only to come on early in the first for the injured Daler Kuzyaev and eventually was forced off the pitch 30 minutes later.
With Cheryshev likely to sit out this clash, the responsibility of getting the ball to striker Artem Dzyuba, will fall solely on the shoulders of Aleksandr Golovin, who’s had a decent season at free-scoring Monaco in Ligue 1.
If Finland manage to nullify Golovin and hold their own against Dzyuba in set-piece situations, Russia will be put to the test against players looking to put their nation on the football map and catch the eye of potential clubs looking to sign quality players in the transfer window, which is currently active.
Prediction: Finland 52/10
At 6/10 Russia is not a bet that fills me with any confidence. All signs lead towards the Russians getting bit by the underdogs, who will have extra motivation of already having three points in the bank. I sincerely fancy Finland to come out trumps in Saint Petersburg.
Written by Bryan Naicker