Vera Pauw’s side are searching for their first win of the qualifiers after their first game ended in a slim defeat to World number two Sweden, who benefitted from a Louise Quinn own-goal.

The hosts have won both of their games in Group A, including a 3-0 win in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Thursday evening.

Finland currently have five players with at least a goal and will bring their attacking intent into their match with the Republic of Ireland.

Vera Pauw has named an unchanged side for the match held in the Finnish capital and will hope to steer her side to a second win in three games.

Aine O’Gorman will earn her 110th cap for the national side while Player of the Match against Sweden Courtney Brosnan will remain between the sticks.

The team lined up in a 5-4-1 formation against Sweden in Tallaght Stadium and it is expected that the unchanged side will not play in a different setup against the Finnish.

Jamie Finn and Aine O’Gorman will occupy the wing-back positions and will offer extra width in attack and defensive cover when Ireland are not in possession of the ball.

Louise Quinn will be at the heart of the defence with Niamh Fahey and Savannah McCarthy on either side of her.

Captain Denise O’Sullivan and Megan Connolly will occupy the midfield while Lucy Quinn and Katie McCabe will aim to provide support for Heather Payne who starts up front for Ireland.

Leanne Kiernan, Amber Barrett and Ciara Grant are among those who take their place on the bench.

Anna Signuel’s side, on the other hand, will be playing for a third win in a row and will aim to continue to put pressure on the Swedes.

The Finland head coach has made four changes to the side that dispatched of Georgia away from home.

Tuija Hyyrynen, Ria Oling, Natalia Kuikka and Sansi Franssi come into the side that is captained by goalkeeper Tinja Rikka-Korpela.

The team’s top scorer Linda Sallstrom also appears in the starting eleven for the side eight places above Ireland in the World rankings.

Teams

Finland (4-4-2): 23 Tinja-Riikka Korpela (C) 3 Tuija Hyyrynen 4 Ria Öling 5 Emma Koivisto 7 Adelina Engman 10 Emmi Alanen 15 Natalia Kuikka 16 Anna Westerlund 17 Sanni Franssi 18 Linda Sällström 20 Eveliina Summanen.

Subs: 1 Paula Myllyoja 12 Anna Tamminen 2 Elli Pikkujämsä 6 Anna Auvinen 8 Olga Ahtinen 9 Juliette Kemppi 11 Nora Heroum 13 Amanda Rantanen 14 Julia Tunturi 19 Essi Sainio 21 Eva Nyström 22 Jutta Rantala.

Republic of Ireland (5-4-1): Brosnan; Finn, Fahey, Louise Quinn, McCarthy, O’Gorman; Lucy Quinn, O’Sullivan, Connolly, McCabe; Payne.

Subs: Moloney, Badana, Walsh, Caldwell, Kiernan, Barrett, Jarrett, Farrelly, Grant, Noonan, Clancy, McLaughlin.

Where To Watch

The match will kick-off at 4:15 pm Irish time and will be available to watch on RTÉ 2 and on the RTÉ Player.

The post Finland v Ireland – Preview, Team News, Where To Watch appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The match is Ireland’s second of their 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification campaign.

The team are searching for their first win of the qualifiers after their first game ended in a slim defeat to World number two Sweden, who benefitted from a Louise Quinn own-goal.

Aine O’Gorman will earn her 110th cap for the national side while Player of the Match against Sweden Courtney Brosnan will remain between the sticks.

The team lined up in a 5-4-1 formation against Sweden in Tallaght Stadium and it is expected that the unchanged side will not play in a different setup against the Finnish.

Jamie Finn and Aine O’Gorman will occupy the wing-back positions and will offer extra width in attack and defensive cover when Ireland are not in possession of the ball.

Louise Quinn will be at the heart of the defence with Niamh Fahey and Savannah McCarthy on either side of her.

Captain Denise O’Sullivan and Megan Connolly will occupy the midfield while Lucy Quinn and Katie McCabe will aim to provide support for Heather Payne who starts up front for Ireland.

Leanne Kiernan, Amber Barrett and Ciara Grant are among those who take their place on the bench.

Republic of Ireland WNT v Finland

(5-4-1): Brosnan; Finn, Fahey, Louise Quinn, McCarthy, O’Gorman; Lucy Quinn, O’Sullivan, Connolly, McCabe; Payne.

Subs: Moloney, Badana, Walsh, Caldwell, Kiernan, Barrett, Jarrett, Farrelly, Grant, Noonan, Clancy, McLaughlin.

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Belgium, Denmark, Finland, and Russia will go head-to-head to determine who goes through.

This is Finland’s first-ever major tournament and they face two former winners in Denmark and Russia and a strong Belgian side.

BELGIUM

Belgium has chosen a squad filled with players in their primes.

Their 26-man team entering the tournament is the oldest at an average age of 29.3.

Furthermore, their squad is the most internationally experienced, with over 50 caps per player on average.

Nice graph from @RahulIyer32. England are one of the youngest squads at Euro 2020, but have totalled the most minutes over a long season. 10 – 11 players near or above the 'likely knackered' threshold. Belgium are peak squad age, with a much fresher team than most top sides pic.twitter.com/V0GCafQsmY

— Sean Fitzsimons (@seand_f) June 2, 2021

Belgium’s world-class individuals will have the world in awe once again this year.

However, an ageing defence may put a roadblock in their chances at glory.

Regardless, a side that includes Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku will strike fear into the hearts of the opposition.

The presence of Thibaut Courtois between the sticks will offer safe hands while Timothy Castagne will offer the side an extra man out wide.

The Belgians squad is stacked and they should have minimal problems getting out of Group B.

DENMARK

Denmark will provide the Belgians with their biggest challenge in the group stage with world-class talents of their own lining up for the Danes this summer.

Kasper Schmeichel will act as the impenetrable wall behind the reliable Andreas Christensen.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg will work tirelessly to protect the backline while Christian Eriksen will be the side’s playmaker.

RB Leipzig’s Yussuf Poulsen and Barcelona’s Martin Braithwaite offer options in attack.

All three of their games will be played in Parken Stadium, Copenhagen and the home advantage could help them when they need it most.

FINLAND

Finland was one of the surprise packages in the qualifying phase, beating out Greece and Bosnia & Herzegovina to a place in Euro 2020.

The side boasts a veteran squad filled with talents from foreign leagues.

Bayer Leverkusen’s Lukas Hradecky will offer a safe pair of hands in goal.

In addition to this, Finnish-Irish star Daniel O’Shaugnessy will form part of the side’s three-man defence.

31-year-old Teemu Pukki will lead the line for the Eagle-Owls with Glen Kamara and captain Tim Sparv occupying the midfield.

The side has upset World Cup winners France in the last year and could offer an upset in the group.

RUSSIA

2018 World Cup hosts Russia round off the teams in Group B.

The World Cup quarterfinalists will compete for one of the two automatic spots in the group but will be without some of their core players from the World Cup run.

Goalkeeper Anton Shunin will hope to replicate Igor Akinfeev’s performances on the world stage but with only three selected centre-backs to protect him.

Mário Fernandes will offer Russia the creative outlet and width he has done for years on the right-hand side while the trio of Aleksander Golovin, Aleksey Miranchuk and Denis Cheryshev will look to light up the tournament alongside their captain Artem Dzyuba.

Russia also has a home advantage at Krestovsky Stadium, St. Petersburg for two of their games – Belgium and Finland.

Aside from the Belgians, this group could be one of the more competitive of the tournament.

Group B fixtures: Denmark v Finland, Saturday, 12th June 17:00. Belgium v Russia, Saturday 12th June 20:00. Finland v Russia, Wednesday 16th June 14:00. Denmark v Belgium, Thursday, 17th June 17:00. Russia v Denmark, Monday, 21st June 20:00. Finland v Belgium, Monday 21st June 20:00.

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In League B’s Group 4, Ireland suffered a 1-0 defeat against Finland in what was another disappointing result for the boys in green. The only goal of the match came through Fredrik Jensen, a man Ireland fans will be familiar with having also scored the winner in the Aviva. The goal was a result of an uncustomary mistake from Darren Randolph, who carelessly gave the ball away which resulted in simple finish. The loss means Ireland remain in 3^rd, but are looming dangerously close to an automatic relegation spot.

Frustrating result in Helsinki

FT | Finland 1-0 Ireland

Jensen’s goal the difference as Ronan Curtis’ header denied in the final minutes #COYBIG | #FINIRL pic.twitter.com/7nnkxtXevC

— FAIreland (@FAIreland) October 14, 2020

Elsewhere in the group, Wales’ late winner against Bulgaria mean they remain on top of the table by 1 point.

In League A, Poland trounced Bosnia with a 3-0 win in Group 1. Bosnia did themselves no favours after getting a man sent off just 14 minutes into the game. Polish talisman Robert Lewandowski exploited Bosnian misfortune by netting a brace. This result means that Poland jump above Italy and Netherlands after they played out a 1-1 draw elsewhere in the group.

Group 2 seen Denmark defeat England in what was a disastrous performance from Harry Maguire. Maguire picked up his second yellow in the 31^st minute which led to Christian Eriksen converting from the spot. His performance will only have further compounded his misery after a turbulent few weeks. England now drop to 3^rd, having been in 1^st before yesterday’s fixtures.

Belgium also defeated Iceland 2-1 with Romelu Lukaku impressing as he scored 2 goals. Belgium have now leapfrogged England to claim 1^st position in the group.

Group 3 standings remained the same as France defeated Croatia and a Diego Jota inspired Portugal comfortably dispatched of Sweden. The newly signed Liverpool man claimed an assist and two goals in what was a man of the match performance, showing that he could do the business in Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence.

There were no group 4 matches played yesterday. Spain remain top of the group on 7 points despite a shock loss to Ukraine on Tuesday. Germany and the aforementioned Ukraine are just one point behind on 6 points.

Back to League B and Norway overcame Northern Ireland by way of a Stuart Dallas own goal in Group 1. Erling Braut Haaland failed to find his form against the North after netting his first international hat trick against Romania on Sunday. He will however be happy with Norway’s league position as they remain 2^nd, only level on points with Austria.

On the topic of Austria, they managed to overcome Romania in a match which ended 1-0.

Scotland retained their 100% unbeaten record in Group 2 with a win against Czech Republic, despite being dominated for much of the game. Ryan Fraser scored the only goal of the game after some great work by Lyndon Dykes to ensure the win.

Israel and Slovakia played out a memorable game in the same group, with a late Eran Zahavi goal awarding Israel a 3-2 scoreline. Zahavi will be taking home the match ball after scoring 2 goals prior to his winner in what was a man of the match performance. He will be hoping to make his mark on the Dutch league having recently signed for PSV Eindhoven.

Hat-trick for Zahavi tonight! #NationsLeague https://t.co/QCYBMX5MVM

— UEFA Nations League (@EURO2020) October 14, 2020

There were two draws in group 3 as Russia played out a stalemate with Hungary and Turkey drew 2-2 with Serbia. The results mean that Russia remain on top with 8 points, having not lost so far in the group.

Onto League C and there were no matches played in Group 1 yesterday. Luxembourg and Montenegro are currently battling for promotion to League B as both teams are stuck on 9 points.

Group 2 seen two 1-1 draws with Estonia playing Armenia and North Macedonia facing Georgia. North Macedonia and Georgia are level on top with 6 points while Armenia lurk just behind on 5 points.

Perhaps the best team in League C, Slovenia stayed atop of Group 3 as they slotted 4 past Moldova while maintaining a clean sheet. Haris Vuckic bagged a hat trick as he finished two opportunities from the spot.

Elsewhere in the group, Greece and Kosovo played out a scoreless draw despite Greece controlling a large majority of the game. Arijanet Muric didn’t make it easy for Greece as he produced a man of the match performance in the net for Kosovo. Greece are just 2 points off top while Kosovo and Moldova are embroiled in a relegation battle.

Group 4 seen Belarus defeat Kazakhstan while Lithuania managed a scoreless draw against Albania. Albania are underachieving in the group so far, sitting in 3^rd while Belarus remain on top and Lithuania remain in 2^nd.

All of League D’s matches were played on Tuesday so there was no fixtures yesterday.

Faroe Islands sit comfortably on top of Group 1 with Malta in 2^nd, Latvia in 3^rd and Andorra sitting at the bottom of the table.

Gibraltar have a 100% winning record in Group 2 and remain on top while Liechtenstein are two points behind in 2^nd. Minnows San Marino are stuck at the bottom of the table, but they will be happy as they managed to gather their first ever Nations League point with a draw against Liechtenstein on Tuesday.

Best Performers:  Eran Zahavi, Robert Lewandowski, Diego Jota, Haris Vuckic, Arijanet Muric

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It’s not been an easy ride for Stephen Kenny so far. Still to manage a win, Kenny’s Ireland record as it stands includes three draws and one loss. Injuries, suspensions and other factors haven’t done any favours for the Ireland manager in what has been a substandard start to his managerial reign. He has shown signs of promise, with impressive performances – despite the results – against both Slovakia and Wales.

Kenny will be hoping he can turn those performances into results by ending his winless run with a win against Finland in Helsinki today. However, it will be no easy challenge as Kenny’s side suffered a 1-0 loss against Finland in what was his first game in charge. Finland also won their previous Nations League match against Bulgaria so their camp will be full of confidence going into today’s game.

Finland find themselves in 2^nd on six points while Ireland are 3^rd with just two points to their name. Promotion from league B to league A looks unlikely at this stage for the Republic of Ireland, but good results in their final three group games would mean not getting dragged into a relegation battle. Finland are still very much in the promotion picture. A win against the Finns could be the catalyst Ireland need to finish off the Nations League campaign early.

Tomorrow | #COYBIG | #FINIRL pic.twitter.com/UbXLNiS9v4

— FAIreland (@FAIreland) OCTOBER 13, 2020 

Both teams play a similar style of football, pressing high up the pitch and playing high tempo passing football so it should be an entertaining watch, for the neutral at least.

Here is all the information you need to know about today’s fixture:

Team News

Ireland

Ireland are going into this match with an entirely different squad than what was announced initially. Between injuries and illness, Ireland can count themselves unlucky to be in the position they currently find themselves in. Several key players are missing from the squad – including Seamus Coleman, David McGoldrick and John Egan. Kenny was however handed a significant boost earlier this week as Adam Idah and Aaron Connolly were both passed fit to play, having been previously unavailable due to coronavirus concerns.

Ireland may need to rely on some of their young talent, something which Kenny’s predecessors have often failed to do. The average age of the Ireland squad available for selection is 25.5 years. This is much younger than it has been in the past. Irish fans will be hoping youth trumps experience as just four players in the squad have upwards of twenty caps.

Suspensions: James McClean

Injuries: James McCarthy + another unnamed player (covid-19)

Predicted line-up:

Finland

Finland, unlike Ireland, should have a full squad available. There are no significant injuries or suspensions within the Finland camp, meaning they’ll be at full strength come this evening.

Daniel O’Shaughnessy will be hoping to start against his ancestral homeland for the second time, having previously played Ireland earlier in the Nations League campaign. His father hails from Galway given his Irish sounding name but he’s a proud Finn, having represented his country from u15 level onwards. Another player Ireland will have to keep an eye on is Teemu Pukki, who will likely start up top for Finland.

Suspensions: None

Injuries: None

Predicated line-up:

Finland vs. Ireland Prediction

Like the first encounter between the two nations, this will likely be a hard-fought affair. Finland will probably fancy their chances given the outcome of the previous game but Ireland will be no pushovers, they’ll be desperate to turn their fortunes around after a miserable campaign so far.

Finland are in better form than Ireland having won four of their last six competitive game – including a 1-0 victory over the aforementioned opponents – but Kenny appears to be finding his feet with performances improving game by game. There have been considerable improvements made since the first meeting between the two sides and Irish fans will be hoping for a much better performance than last time.

Our prediction for the game is:

Ireland 1 – 0 Finland

For those looking for further information:

Where is the match being played?

The match is being played in Finland’s home ground, the Helsinki Olympic stadium. This will be the Republic of Ireland’s third time visiting the stadium, having previously played there in 1949 and 2002.

When is the match being played?

It is being played on the 14^th of October. The match will kick off at 5 p.m. Irish standard time.

Is it being televised?

Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Football will have coverage of the event. The match will not be free to air on Irish television. Virgin Media Two will have highlights of the match at 10 p.m. with full coverage of the match to follow at 11 p.m.

Viewers in the United States can also catch the game on ESPN+.

Where can the match be streamed?

Viewers can also stream the match through NOW TV’s Sky Sports Pass. The service can be purchased for one day for €11 or customers can purchase a month pass for €37.

The post Preview – Republic of Ireland vs. Finland appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Following Sunday’s meeting with Wales, Stephen Kenny announced he would be calling up additional players for Wednesday’s fixture. “I do, yeah I do… we’ll be addressing that in the next couple of hours” said the Ireland manager after being asked if he would have to make additional call ups. The players that received the call have now been revealed as Dara O’Shea, Jason Knight, Adam Idah, Ryan Manning, Ronan Curtis.

Five players called up for the Finland match

Dara O’Shea | @WBA
Jason Knight | @dcfcofficial
Adam Idah | @NorwichCityFC
Ryan Manning | @QPR
Ronan Curtis | @Pompey

Idah rejoins squad after receiving clearance from the HSE

https://t.co/SeiauxiVvB#COYBIG pic.twitter.com/GVYLCKsLAy

— FAIreland (@FAIreland) OCTOBER 11, 2020

It is Jason Knight’s first call up to the senior squad. The Derby midfielder had previously been selected for the u21s. He will be hoping to get his first cap as well as Ryan Manning and Dara O’Shea, whose form last season will have caught the attention of Stephen Kenny.

Adam Idah had previously been included in the squad before being removed due to close contact with a member of staff who tested positive for covid-19. He has been recalled to the squad following clearance from the HSE. A much needed boost for Stephen Kenny.

The call ups come as a result of 10 players becoming unavailable for selection. The circumstances surrounding the absentees come as a consequence of injury and covid-19 precautions, following positive cases within the camp.

Despite a depleted match day squad, Kenny’s men came out of Dublin with a respectable draw against a Bale-less, but strong Welsh side. Kenny will be hoping he can notch up the first win of his managerial reign against Finland, something he failed to do in their previous encounter. The match takes place at 5 o’clock on Wednesday evening and will be played at the Bolt Arena in Helsinki. Unfortunately for viewers in Ireland, the match will not be shown free to air on Irish television. The match will however be shown live on Sky Sports.

This is the Ireland squad as it stands:

Goalkeepers: Darren Randolph (West Ham United), Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (Bournemouth).
Defenders: Matt Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur), Enda Stevens (Sheffield United), Shane Duffy (Celtic, on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion), Kevin Long (Burnley), Cyrus Christie (Nottingham Forest, on loan from Fulham), Dara O’Shea (West Bromwich Albion).
Midfielders: Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), James McCarthy (Crystal Palace), Jeff Hendrick (Newcastle United), Jayson Molumby (Brighton & Hove Albion), Jack Byrne (Shamrock Rovers), Robbie Brady (Burnley), Josh Cullen (Anderlecht), Jason Knight (Derby County), Ryan Manning (Queens Park Rangers).
Forwards: James McClean (Stoke City), Daryl Horgan (Wycombe Wanderers), David McGoldrick (Sheffield United), Sean Maguire (Preston North End), Shane Long (Southampton), Adam Idah (Norwich City), Ronan Curtis (Portsmouth)

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