will show Huuhkajie’s EC qualifying matches live. The broadcast of Sunday’s Northern Ireland match starts at 21:15 on TV2, Areena and the app.
A completely different game than the first one.
With that expectation, the Finnish men’s national football team will go to Northern Ireland to get the opening win of the EC qualifiers. Huuhkajat will aim to topple Northern Ireland after bowing out to Denmark in the opening game in Copenhagen.
In contrast to the stone-hard Denmark match, Finland is expected to keep more of the ball against Northern Ireland and play a more assertive attacking game. There were some good glimpses from Huuhkaj in Copenhagen, but the Northern Irishmen’s defense, which groups tightly in front of the goal, is a different nut to crack.
Urheilu’s football expert Jonne Kunnas sees that Finland now has an opportunity to set a certain direction for its qualifiers.
Huhukajat can show in attack that it has been able to rise to a new level and take a big step in these qualifiers.
– Finland must not fall into its old pattern and just trust that some individual will be able to overtake his opponent with his “qualitative superiority”. Since the Huuhkaji now have an opponent playing in a low block, that cannot be the story of the whole match. Other means are now needed to get around, Kunnas explains.
The aspects of the defense that rained in the match against Denmark must be corrected. One of the most important matches for the continuation of the qualifiers is ahead.
– Finding out the defense problems that have plagued Finland is one of the most essential things in the whole hunt for a place in the competition, Kunnas nails.
Core players have a big screen space
According to Kunnas, it is the choices aimed at the attacking game that are the big question in Sunday’s away game.
When looking at last year’s game performances from, for example, the Nations League, Finland occasionally stuck to its patterns in its attacking game. Huuhkajat tried to attack the opponent who was more passive, compact and covering the supply lines as a group through individuals.
– We have several very good players who can overcome their opponents with their individual skills. The most recent and best example is for sure Oliver Antman. In addition Teemu Pukin and Joel Pohjanpalon the strengths here are also known. Still, that method has sometimes remained somewhat the only way, Kunnas sums up.
Kunnas hopes that the Huuhkajat will be able to show their ability to create scoring chances as a group today. And when attacking together is built on individuals, Finland’s core players include Teemu Pukki and Glen Kamara a particularly big responsibility on Sunday.
– Even before the Denmark match, there was talk of how long they have been the team’s supporting forces and key players. Their importance and abilities are emphasized precisely in this place.
Kunnas emphasizes that the duo must get help from other players as well. However, together Pukki and Kamara can create a better opportunity for the whole team to attack in different ways.
Schüller has a significant role
When it comes to scoring goals, Huuhkaj has options to the top. According to expert Kunnas, when talking about the top players, the most important thing is not who starts the match on the field.
– The essential thing is that Finland has several different types of attackers. Through them, by making changes to the flow of the game and the logic of creating scoring opportunities, it is possible to change.
He gives examples of possibilities.
– For example, if Finland has the opportunity to attack large facilities, Benjamin Källman is excellent at it. If more threats are needed, yes Marcus Forss has been in great shape. In this department, the head coach Markku in Kanerva there are keys to change the course of the match and it is guaranteed to be well known by the coaching staff.
One area where the game can be changed from the Denmark match is the midfield. Missed the opening match of the qualifiers due to flu Rasmus Schuller confirmed earlier For MTV Urheilu (you will switch to another service) that he is now fit for Sunday.
The role of Schüller, who anchors the midfield at the weaving place, has grown to be worth its weight in recent years. Against Denmark, his exhaustion was visible, for example, as the team’s midfield trio stretched their distances. Schüller is now in a significant role against Northern Ireland.
– He knows how to defend those big spaces on the field, which makes Kamara’s obligations on the field easier, for example. He is still very important for Finland in terms of attack, Kunnas sums up with joy at Schüller’s return.
According to him, Schüller, who has a good rhythm in the game, is able to constantly support ball players when building an attack. This is achieved by positioning correctly, timing solutions and adjusting the tempo of the game.
Toppers can wash their faces
Northern Ireland’s lineup includes several players who are just taking their first steps in the national team. The average age of the team is 25.6 years, and the team had not played training matches since September 2022. The San Marino match ended up being a 2–0 victory for the “Green and White Army”.
Against San Marino, who have now lost 127 international matches in a row, the goals came in a way that has been formed through the football DNA of the Northern Irish, i.e. through concentration.
Leo Vaisänen knows what the Finnish toppers have in front of them at the Windsor Park stadium. Namely, concentration rain.
– A tough battle is ahead, because the Northern Irish are very clear about how they want to play. They immediately put the ball in the air towards the goal in every special situation as soon as they get over half the field, Väisänen told Urheilu in Belfast.
In the loss against Denmark, the personal weaknesses of Finland’s central defenders were all too clearly visible. The habits of the Finnish defenders, already taken into account in advance, to stay watching the ball and lose their men guarding the gates were annoyingly highlighted. Denmark’s young top Rasmus Højlund used his grief to his freedom, concocting a hat trick.
Read more: The expert coldly laid the problems plaguing Huuhkaj on the table: “Let’s just follow the ball” – the rest was taken care of by Erling Haaland 2.0
Väisänen knows that now Finland’s defense must be tougher in many ways.
– We have to be tough guys there. We have to be more careful, be stronger than them and stay closer to them, he states.
Jonne Kunnas sees that the top players of Finland have a game ahead of them on Sunday, which can determine the direction of the entire qualifiers.
– This measures the toppers very much. I can see that success in dealing with these previously stagnant problems and in dealing with the concentration artillery of Northern Ireland will in a certain way show the direction in these qualifiers. If we succeed now, Finland’s new bearers of responsibility in defense can gather self-confidence from it.