Finland vs Ireland Prediction, Odds and Lineups: Back Szmodics in the Shots market

Finland welcome Ireland to the Helsinki Olympic Stadium tonight in a clash between two countries desperate for points in the Nations League League B Group 2.

Both teams are empty-handed after two games, but that could all change tonight...

New Ipswich Town signing Sammie Szmodics is yet to fully find his feet in the Premier League this season after signing from Blackburn Rovers over the summer. Although he did grab a goal in their loss to current Champions Manchester City. He is also yet to score his first goal for Ireland since debuting for the country in March of this year. Last season however he was amazing scoring 27 league goals as he picked up the Championship golden boot. He is a valuable asset to this poor Ireland squad and if used properly can be a real goal threat.

A game against a weaker Finland side could be Szmodics' golden opportunity to show his country exactly what he has to offer. I expect Ireland to really go for the win on Thursday as they seek to pick up their first points under a new manager. If Ireland can find good attacking opportunities then you can expect Szmodics to be involved in many of them.

I am predicting that Szmodics will have 2+ shots on target at odds of 29/10 with BetMGM.

Both teams have yet to secure a point in the Nations League, making this a crucial match in the battle against relegation. While some may see the Nations League as a series of glorified friendlies, the reality is that neither team will want to face relegation. They'll be fighting hard to stay up, even if it's only pride on the line.

I excpect a pretty cagy affair throughout this game as both sides look to find their first win to stay in the Nations League B. Ireland in particular have a few players who are no strangers to a yellow card with West Brom's Jayson Molumby and Burnley's Josh Cullen coming to mind. Molumby has 3 yellow cards in 7 games in the Championship this season while Cullen has picked up 2 in just as many. Molumby was also booked in Ireland's loss to England earlier in this tournament.

With both sides looking to avoid relegation, you can expect a game a little rough around the edges. Both teams to receive 2+ cards at 21/20 feels like a nice price.

Finland vs Ireland Lineups

Finland Starting Lineup:

Hradecky; Ståhl, Hoskonen, Ivanov, Galvez; Kamara, Schüller, Walta; Lod, Keskinen, Pohjanpalo.

Ireland Starting Lineup:

Kelleher; O'Shea, Collins, Scales; Ogbene, Cullen, Knight, Brady; Szmodics, Azaz, Ferguson

Ireland vs Finland Head-to-Head Record

Ireland and Finland have played each other 7 times in the past and the head to head record couldn't be any tighter. Ireland have won 3 games while there have been 2 victories for Finland as well as 2 draws. However, in more recent times Finland have come out on top winning their past two games against Ireland.

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