Finland v Romania Betting Tips [23 September 2022]
Football - UEFA Nations League
23 September 2022 14:45
The match
A pivotal League B Group 3 match in the UEFA Nations League sees Romania heading north to take on Finland at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. Romania won the first clash between these two sides back in June before falling to a demoralizing 3-0 home defeat to Montenegro in their most recent outing. The Tricolorii currently sit bottom of the table with three points from their four league matches. They’ll be hoping for a similar performance that saw them win 1-0 against their opponents today in Bucharest but would also leapfrog Finland in the table with just a draw. Finland sits third with four points but the loss to Romania gives them the disadvantage in the tiebreaker. This match could potentially decide which team finishes bottom of Group 3, which brings with it a relegation to League C for the next iteration of the Nations League. Both teams also do still have an outside shot of winning the group if they can win the remaining two games and hope other results go their way.
The Fins will feel hard done to walk away from their trip to Bucharest empty handed as they did enough to earn at least a point in their first meeting with Romania. Finland controlled 62% of the possession and managed to fire off 16 shots, nine coming inside the opposition penalty area. It was their finishing that ultimately let them down though, as Finland were able to create three clear-cut goal scoring chances but failed to take a single one. However, a return to Helsinki may be just what the doctor ordered after back-to-back away defeats, the most recent a 3-2 loss to group leaders Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Eagle-Owls have yet to lose at home in the group stage of this competition, drawing their first match 1-1 against Bosnia and Herzegovina and recording a 2-0 home win over Montenegro.
Key Statistics
- Finland has yet to lose at home in the group stage with a draw and a win in their other two home matches.
- Romania has failed to find the net in three of their four Nations League matches.
- Finland’s attack has looked much more dangerous than Romania’s this tournament. The Fins have created nine total clear cut scoring chances in their four group matches while Romania has only managed to create five.
The bet of our experts
We’re going to back Finland to win this match straight up and get the three points. Finland’s play has been solid in this tournament and they should be able to respond with a win in front of the home fans. The Eagle-Owls have been strong at home but have even maintained a good level of attacking threat when playing as the away side. If a few bounces had gone their way against Romania in the first match and Bosnia in their last outing, we could be looking at Finland competing for the group lead. Romania, on the other hand, has struggled to make an impact in this tournament. Look for their scoring struggles to continue as the hosts should take this by a score of 2-0.
