Kick-off: 1700, 14/10/2020
Stadium: Olympic Stadium
TV: Sky Sports
Republic of Ireland have been rocked by withdrawals during the current international break but can still battle to a draw when visiting Finland.
The Eagle-owls won 1-0 when these teams met in the Nations League in Dublin last month, but there was very little in it at Aviva Stadium.
Stephen Kenny’s side are now scrapping to avoid relegation and 2/1 for a stalemate in Helsinki is our first Finland vs Republic of Ireland prediction.
A Look At Finland’s Betting Odds
Finland have their sights set on top spot in Group B4 after recovering from a 1-0 loss to Wales at this venue by recording back-to-back Nations League victories.
Fredrik Jensen scored the only goal of the game in Ireland when finishing off a neat move involving Teemu Pukki and Robert Taylor.
Markku Kanerva’s men beat Bulgaria 2-0 here on Sunday, with Taylor and Jensen netting to send Finland’s supporters home happy.
Defender Paulus Arajuuri said: “It was a fantastic experience to have fans back, it makes a world of difference.”
Kanerva made a number of changes for a 5-1 friendly loss in Poland in between, so that result is best forgotten.
This is a hard-working unit which has won 10 of the last 12 home fixtures, although that record was built up against mostly moderate opposition.
Looking at the Finland vs Republic of Ireland odds, we’re backing the scores to be level at half-time and full-time at 29/10.
A Look At Republic of Ireland’s Betting Odds
We landed a trio of successful selections when Ireland played out a goalless draw with Wales over the weekend.
Aaron Connolly, Adam Idah, John Egan, Callum Robinson, Callum O’Dowda, Alan Browne and Derrick Williams were all missing from a squad reduced to just 18 players due to Covid-19 concerns.
Defender Kevin Long had to leave the field with a badly swollen eye and midfielder James McClean was later sent off for a second bookable offence.
Kenny was already without the injured Seamus Coleman, James McCarthy, David McGoldrick, Harry Arter and Darragh Lenihan, so resources are really stretched.
However, Connolly and Idah could come back in here and Ireland can still name a starting line-up full of proven performers.
“They are a really good group, they just showed their professionalism by performing to the level that they did,” said the manager after Sunday’s clash.
“Everyone who played acquitted themselves really, really well. Overall, we could have won the game; it was evenly-balanced, given there were not a lot of chances.”
Ireland had previously drawn 0-0 in Slovakia following 120 minutes of a Euro 2020 play-off, only to miss out on penalties.
We’re backing their resilience to shine through again in Helsinki, with 6/5 for no goals in the first half added to our Finland vs Republic of Ireland betting tips.
Additional stats
Last result:
FINLAND 2-0 Bulgaria – Robert Taylor, Fredrik Jensen
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 0-0 Wales
Head-to-head: Ireland 0-1 Finland, Finland 0-3 Ireland, Ireland 3-0 Finland, Ireland 1-1 Finland, Finland 1-1 Ireland
Join bwin today and receive up to £20 money back as a FreeBet if your first wager (3+ selections at odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater) is a loser! Terms and conditions apply.
