Finland Vs Bosnia & Herzegovina
Finland Vs Bosnia & Herzegovina Saturday, 4 June 2022 – 17:00 (BST)
UEFA Nations League
Pick: Under 2.5 Goals
Odds: 4/6
Bookmaker: WilliamHill
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 1 June 2022)
Preview: Having gained the upper hand during their 2022 World Cup Qualifying meetings (W1 D1), Finland are attractively priced to kick-off UEFA Nations League Group B3 with three points against Bosnia & Herzegovina at Helsinki Olympic Stadium.
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Table of Contents
Finland – Eagle-Owls aiming to go one better than 2020-21?
After narrowly missing out on promotion last time around, Finland are back trying to crack League B. Marrku Kanerva’s team won four out of six group stage games in 2020-21, doing the double over Bulgaria and Republic of Ireland for the loss of a solitary goal. Home and away losses to Wales meant they were forced to settle for second, however, a 3-1 defeat in Cardiff on Matchday 6 scuppering hopes of promotion at the last.
Since then the Eagle-Owls have featured at their first major tournament, going all the way to the knockout stages at EURO 2020. They fell agonisingly short of qualifying for successive finals though. A record of W3 D2 L3 seeing them finish a point shy of Ukraine who took Group D’s play-off slot in 2022 World Cup Qualifying. Meanwhile their only outings so far this year saw them draw with Iceland and lose to Slovakia.
Key Stat: Playing at home isn’t the advantage it ought to be for Finland, who would only manage one win across their last six competitive home matches (W1 D1 L4) – that a slender 1-0 victory over Kazakhstan.
Bosnia – Deteriorating form of huge concern?
The Dragons were handed a strong dose of reality in the most recent edition of UEFA’s Nations League. Drawn alongside Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland, they would wrap up their brief stint in League A as one of only two sides – the other being Iceland – not to win a single game (D2 L4). Since then, though, their form has only deteriorated further, with one win in nine matches coming into Saturday’s clash in Helsinki.
In March, a late strike from their all-time leading goalscorer, Edin Dzeko, secured a 1-0 victory in Zenica over Luxembourg that could end up doing wonders for their fragile confidence. It brought a halt to their four-game losing sequence under Ivaylo Petev, who watched on in horror four days prior to that when his players turned in a listless display to succumb 1-0 at home to lowly Georgia.
Key Stat: Bosnia would fail to win eight of the last nine away internationals (D4 L4), which includes a 2-2 draw away to Finland during 2022 World Cup Qualifying.
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Finland Vs Bosnia Betting Advice
Despite bossing both possession and the shot count in Helsinki and Zenica, Bosnia simply couldn’t get the better of Finland in their recent clashes. Those came in 2022 World Cup Qualifying, and so should serve as a useful gauge as to how this latest renewal pans out. The pair remain locked on two wins apiece after five head-to-heads, though Bosnia are still searching for their first away win (D1 L1).
Finland Vs Bosnia & Herzegovina – Key Facts:
- UEFA Nations League Group B3 kick-offs in Helsinki with a sixth meeting between Finland, who won the most recent affair 3-1 away in Zenica last November, and Bosnia, who are yet to win as the visiting team (D1 L1).
- Finland have won only one of their past ten home matches (D3 L6) and were never ahead in any of their nine previous competitive home games.
- Bosnia would recently halt a run of four successive defeats with victory over Luxembourg, but their recent away endeavours has seen them produce a solitary win – 2-0 vs Kazakhstan – in their last nine attempts (D4 L4).
The last three meetings saw Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams to Score, but I am less confident about Saturday’s game following a similar pattern. Neither set the world alight in the March international break, combining for two goals – one apiece – despite facing modest opposition. Meanwhile the case for opposing goals is strengthened by Under 2.5 landing in 14 of 16 previous Finland games and 12 of Bosnia’s last 14.
Best Betting Odds – Finland Vs Bosnia & Herzegovina
Finland – 13/8 (Bet365)
Draw – 11/5 (BetVictor)
Bosnia & Herzegovina – 17/10 (WilliamHill)
