"Appointed after a run of six straight losses at the end of 2024, when Finland finished bottom of their Nations League group, Danish coach Jacob Friis has gradually steadied the ship over the past nine months. A 1-0 opening win against Malta and four points from their next three fixtures raised hopes of a turnaround, but a friendly loss to Norway and a 3-1 defeat in Poland last month have left the Eagle-owls outside the top two."
"Lithuania's five past meetings with Finland have produced two wins apiece and one draw - the latter a 2-2 contest in Kaunas back in March, when the Baltic side clawed back from two goals down through Armandas Kucys and Gvidas Gineitis. Jankauskas' side have just three points in Group G but came close to shocking the Netherlands last time out, battling back from two goals down before losing 3-2 to a late Memphis Depay winner."
Finland seek victory at home against Lithuania to remain in contention for a first-ever World Cup appearance. Coach Jacob Friis steadied the team after six straight losses, but recent defeats, including 3-1 in Poland, left Finland outside the top two and dropped to 71st in FIFA rankings. Injuries rule out captain goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, midfielder Rasmus Schuller and defender Tony Miettinen; Jesse Joronen likely to start and Joel Pohjanpalo expected to lead the attack. Lithuania have three points in Group G, have historic parity with Finland head-to-head, and narrowly lost 3-2 to the Netherlands recently.
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