Albania have won both matches without conceding: prediction for Finland — Albania
The UEFA Nations League third-round match between Finland and Albania will take place in Helsinki on October 3. Finland have collected four points from their opening two games, while Albania have won both matches and top the group.
Finland: seven goals against San Marino and a goalless draw with Belarus
Jakob Friis's side opened the tournament with a crushing 7-0 win over San Marino before playing out a 0-0 draw with Belarus. Their four points put Finland in second place and keep them firmly in the race for top spot.
The hosts have no squad concerns ahead of the match. Joel Pohjanpalo, who has scored 22 goals in 91 appearances for Finland, is expected to lead the attack again, while Lukas Hradecky should start in goal.
Albania: six points and no goals conceded
Albania made an even more convincing start. First, Rolando Maran's team defeated Belarus 2-0, then beat San Marino 3-0.
After two rounds, Albania have a maximum six points and lead Finland by two. The visitors can once again count on Rey Manaj in attack, as well as Myrto Uzuni and Anis Mehmeti.
Match facts and head-to-head record
- Finland have collected four points from their opening two matches.
- Albania have won both of their matches in this Nations League campaign with an aggregate score of 5-0.
- Finland have beaten Albania in three of their last four meetings.
Group leaders can withstand the Helsinki test: prediction for Finland — Albania
Finland have looked confident in this group and are certain to cause the visitors plenty of problems at home. However, the goalless draw with Belarus showed that the hosts' attack can lack cutting edge against a more organised defence.
Albania have looked more reliable so far and have already kept two clean sheets. If the match follows an even script, the visitors' greater consistency could prove decisive.
