Finland vs Russia
European Championship this season
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Preview: Finland vs Russia
In a pivotal Euro 2020 Group B clash, Finland looks to build on their historic victory as they face a determined Russia, eager to rebound from their opening defeat, at the Krestovsky Stadium on Wednesday.
Finland
Finland got off to a flying start in their first major international competition with a 1-0 win over Denmark on Saturday. Joel Pohjanpalo scored the game's only goal on the hour mark. It was a fine header after peeling away from a defender to connect with a cross from Club Genk's Jere Uronen.
Thirteen minutes after the goal, Denmark were awarded a penalty, but Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg failed to convert as Finnish goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky made the save. However, the result was overshadowed by a medical emergency that saw the game temporarily suspended shortly before half-time when Denmark's Christian Eriksen collapsed.
Fortunately, Eriksen is in stable condition and continues to be hospitalized for further evaluation. This victory marked Finland's first win in six games across all international competitions, breaking a streak of draws and losses—DDLLLW.
Markku Kanerva, coach of the Eagle-owls, expressed his happiness with the victory, stating it was a memorable result for various reasons. Following the unexpected win over Denmark, it's unlikely he will change the 3-5-2 formation used on Saturday.
Norwich City's Teemu Pukki and goal-scorer Joel Pohjanpalo are expected to return as the attacking duo on Wednesday. Finland now has 3 points in Group B with a record of 1 win, 0 draws, and 0 losses as they head into Match Day 2.
Russia
Practically shredded to pieces, Russia heads into Match Day 2 without any points, following a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Belgium. Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring for Belgium in the game's early minutes, with Thomas Meunier adding another goal eleven minutes before halftime.
In the dying minutes, Lukaku capitalized on Russia's defensive lapses to score his second goal, marking Russia's second defeat in their last six matches across all competitions: WWLDWL. Russia's coach, Stanislav Cherchesov, expressed his disappointment, noting, "We could not create as many moments as we would like."
Looking ahead to Wednesday, Cherchesov will aim to secure at least a point. A 4-2-3-1 formation is expected, featuring Artem Dzyuba from FC Zenit Saint Petersburg leading the attack.
Team form
Showing the latest five games—giving you a quick look at recent performance trends. Teams in good form tend to do well in the next match.
Team Comparison
Side-by-side assessment of team statistics, including goals, attacks, and more. This allows you to directly compare key performance metrics. Analyzing these stats can reveal patterns and strengths that might influence the outcome.