Adrian Mills’ selections for England’s second game of the international break include a bounce-back win for the Three Lions with plenty of goals.
After a poor performance and a first defeat to Greece on Thursday, England have an immediate chance to get back to winning ways in the Nations League.
The Three Lions head to Finland seeking a response and Lee Carsley will know his chances of landing the head coach’s role is hanging in the balance.
Sunday’s opponents offer the perfect opportunity to bounce back, with Finland having failed to win any of their last five fixtures.
Best bets
England to win and over 2.5 Goals
1/1
Anytime Goalscorer – Ollie Watkins
21/20
Correct Score To Be Either 0-2, 0-3 or 0-4
Finland woes to continue
You have to go back to March 2024 for the last time Finland last won an international match – a 2-1 friendly victory over Estonia.
That winless run continued on Thursday evening, when the Republic of Ireland left Helsinki with a 2-1 victory, after the hosts had taken the lead.
The worst thing that could have happened for Finland was England’s defeat to Greece, with their players and manager having something to prove on Sunday.
England are likely to make a number of changes from the side that lost at Wembley, when they started the game with no out-and-out striker.
Another concern for the Finns will be how they have been leaking goals, having conceded in each of their last eight internationals.
That run includes a goal for San Marino, four for Wales and two by Scotland in a 2-2 friendly draw at Hampden Park in June.
England have not lost in any of their last seven away games – outside of major tournaments – and scoring in all of those matches.
Watkins could be handed rare start
With fitness concerns still looming over captain Harry Kane, there looks a good chance that Ollie Watkins will feature on Sunday.
The Aston Villa frontman would have been forgiven for thinking he would have started against Greece when it was revealed Kane was unavailable.
Watkins – who has four Premier League goals to his name this season – did get a 30-minute run out at Wemble,y but he may play a more significant part in the clash with Finland.
England looked lost going forward with a main striker and Watkins’ displays, both domestically and in the Champions League, show he deserves a chance from the start.
England can extend another record
These two nations have met on eight previous occasions, with Finland yet to beat England, who have won six of those games.
The two draws were in Finland, with a 0-0 scoreline in a World Cup qualifier in 2000 and a 1-1 draw back in 1985, also in a qualification game for the World Cup.
England have kept clean sheets in two of the last three meetings, including a 2-0 success at Wembley in September.
The Three Lions also kept a clean sheet in their last Nations League away day, a 2-0 success over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
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