Wales vs Finland Prediction and Betting Tips: Our best bets for Euro play-off

Wales continue their quest to qualify for a fourth major tournament out of the last five when they take on Finland on Thursday.

The pair meet in the semi-finals of Path A, with the winner going on to host either Poland or Estonia next Tuesday for a place alongside Netherlands, Austria and France in Group D.

Qualifying defeats to Armenia and Turkey in June 2023 derailed Robert Page's side as they eventually finished behind the Turks and Croatia in Group D, while the Finns came home behind Denmark and Slovenia in Group H.

They, too, made the last Euros and, like Wales, are a side in transition.

Team news

Injuries have forced Wycombe's Joe Low and Swansea's Ben Cabango to withdraw from the Wales squad, but Page can call on veteran Aaron Ramsey. The mercurial midfielder was a surprise call-up after an injury-interrupted campaign at Cardiff and may be used if some late magic is required.

The biggest call for the boss is who plays in goal. Leicester's Danny Ward, Nottingham Forest's Wayne Hennessey, Wolves' Tom King and Sheffield United's Adam Davies have made just one appearance between them at club level this season. Despite his issues at Leicester, Ward has been a regular for Wales and should start.

Finland have also had a withdrawal through Inter Miami's Robert Taylor and have a doubt over Middlesbrough striker Marcus Forss.

Veteran Teemu Pukki, now of Minnesota United, is expected to start in attack alongside clubmate Robin Lod, with Venezia's Joel Pohjanpalo completing an experienced attacking trio.

Predicted XIs for both teams

Wales (3-4-2-1): Ward; Mepham, Rodon, Davies; Roberts, Ampadu, Levitt, Williams; Wilson, Johnson; Moore.

Finland (4-3-3): Hradecky; Soiri, Hoskonen, Jensen, Uronen; Kamara, Schuller, Jensen; Lod, Pukki, Pohjanpalo.

A cliché, yes, but playing under the lights in Cardiff does seem to bring out the best in Wales, and that intangible arguably inspired them in last October's 2-1 win over Croatia.

Page's charges will be looking to channel the excitement from the stands and use it against a Finnish side whose backers will point to them winning three of their five away games in qualifying. However, doubters will counter that those victories came in Northern Ireland, Kazakhstan and San Marino and conceded three times in both Denmark and Slovenia.

The evergreen Pukki and forward partners Lod and Pohjanpalo offer a threat and Wales can be haphazard at the back, conceding over a goal a game in their qualifiers.

The hosts should have too much, though, with Fulham's Harry Wilson and Tottenham's Brennan Johnson flanking their attack. The former netted both goals against Croatia, while the latter has matured since signing for Spurs in the summer.

Johnson is yet to produce a breakout international performance but with three of his four Tottenham goals coming in his last seven outings, the winger has the form to make an impact.