Helmarit will face Slovakia and Georgia in April. According to assistant coach Rosa Lappi-Seppälä, the place for the World Championships is still in her own hands.
The World Cup qualifiers for the Finnish women’s national football team will continue in April, when Helmarit will face Slovakia on April 8 for the first time. and a few days later in Helsinki, Georgia.
The team of helmsmen will be seen defeating FC Fleyry 91 in the French league, among others Katriina Talaslahti. He was on the team in June but has not played any A-matches yet.
They will return to the team as well Emmi Alanen, Essi Sainio and Kaisa Collin.
Helmarit prepared for the World Cup qualifiers and the European Summer Championships by playing three practice matches in February. Finland bent 0–5 for France and 0–3 for the Netherlands, but sensationally played a goalless draw against Brazil.
– The games in February were really great. We got to play against the tops in the world and it will definitely help us prepare for the World Cup qualifiers, but also for the upcoming European Championships, because there our opponents are teams of this level, the sore head coach Anna Signeulia the assistant coach of the helmsmen Rosa Lappi-Seppälä comments.
Finishing the goals has recently posed challenges for Finland. Helmarit has played for seven consecutive episodes without a single hit.
– We need courage in those moments when we have the opportunity to build longer attacks and get more players to the top. Breaking in, finding your own moments and such things are emphasized in the solutions, Rosa Lappi-Seppälä says.
In the autumn, Finland faced Slovakia in the opening match of their qualifiers in Turku, and the match ended in a meager 2-1 victory for the helmsmen. Lappi-Seppälä describes the match in two ways and the level of the team fluctuated within the match.
This time, Lappi-Seppälä hopes to see a smoother performance from the team.
– We need to have a good balance of defense. Slovakia is a very good counterattack team. They have very good individuals and they can even solve games with individual performance. The pack needs to stay in possession, although I think we still want to keep the ball a little bit more than our opponent.
Finland is third in Group A after Sweden and Ireland. Lappi-Seppälä sees that Helmari cannot afford to lose points in relation to the World Championship venue.
– We have everything in our own hands, but we can’t afford to lose points. Right now, we’re going to match one cliché at a time as it is. It is clear that Georgia needs to be treated at home, but by winning Slovakia and Ireland away, we are at least very close to the qualifying place.
Helmars in the April World Cup qualifiers:
Tinja-Riikka Korpela, Tottenham Hotspur FC
Paula Myllyoja, RCD Espanyol
Katriina Talaslahti, FC Fleury 91
Natalia Kuikka, Portland Thorns
Anna Westerlund, Åland United
Anna Auvinen, UC Sampdoria
Elli Pikkujämsä, KIF Örebro
Eva Nyström, Hammarby IF
Emma Koivisto, Brighton and Hove Albion
Tuija Hyyrynen, Juventus FC
Nora Heroum, SS Lazio
Eveliina Summanen, Tottenham Hotspur FC
Emmi Alanen, Kristianstads DFF
Ria Öling, FC Rosengård
Olga Ahtinen, Linköpings FC
Essi Sainio, HJK
Adelina Engman, Hammarby IF
Kaisa Collin, AIK
Juliette Kemppi, IFK Kalmar
Jutta Rantala, Vittsjö GIK
Sanni dating in France, Real Sociedad
Linda Sällström, Vittsjö GIK
Jenny Danielsson, AIK
Heidi Kollanen, KIF Örebro
Amanda Rantanen, KIF Örebro