Finland vs England Lineups and Starting 11s for Nations League Match

England’s UEFA Nations League campaign continues with a trip to the Helsinki Olympic Stadium to face Finland, and Lee Carsley will be looking for a response from his side. The Three Lions suffered a massive setback on Thursday (October 10) when they suffered their first-ever defeat to Greece with a poor display at Wembley.

Jude Bellingham looked to have earned a point with a clever finish in the 87th minute after Vangelis Pavlidis had given the visitors the lead in the 49th minute. Carsley’s troops faltered, though, and Pavlidis came to the fore with a superb 90+4th minute winner.

Carsley’s men have come under intense scrutiny after that defeat, and there are question marks over his future as caretaker coach. He replaced Gareth Southgate, who left as national team manager in the summer after a 2-1 loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final. They had made a bright start to their Nations League campaign with wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland.

The defeat to Greece leaves England sitting second in Group F with six points from three games. They have never suffered a loss to the Finnish, who have been struggling and were beaten 2-1 by Ireland the last time they were out. The Three Lions must quickly recover, with the team finishing top of the group and qualifying for League A of the Nations League.

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Harry Kane and Jack Grealish back in contention

Carsley will be able to call upon Harry Kane and Jack Grealish for the visit to Finland after the attacking duo missed the defeat to Greece. The Bayern Munich striker and Three Lions captain had been dealing with a minor injury, while the Man City attacker was also sidelined with fitness issues.

Kane and Grealish trained ahead of England’s game against the Finnish, and Carsley is expected to revert to a more conventional lineup. He tried out a risky attacking system on Thursday with Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka all starting but failing to impress.

Saka sustained an injury in that game and will be absent alongside Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones. Angel Gomes, Marc Guehi and Kyle Walker will be back, giving Carsley more options as he attempts to get his side back to winning ways.

England Predicted Starting XI

England will likely revert to a 4-3-3 against Finland, given their attacking lineup against Greece failed to reap the rewards. There have been suggestions that Trent Alexander-Arnold could be used as a makeshift left-back despite Carsley perhaps needing to be wary of making any more risky decisions.

Guehi is expected to line up in defence and could replace Levi Colwill alongside John Stones, who will hand the captain’s armband back to Kane. Saka’s injury means Palmer can move to his preferred right wing, with Grealish potentially replacing Gordon on the left flank.

England XI: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Alexander-Arnold, Rice, Gomes, Bellingham, Palmer, Grealish, Kane (C)

Substitutes: Pope (GK), Henderson (GK), Colwill, Lewis, Gallagher, Livramento, Watkins, Foden, Solanke, Madueke

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The Finnish have a clean bill of health

Finland head coach Markku Kanerva has a fully fit squad at his disposal after the defeat to Ireland. His troops had taken the lead through Joel Pohjanpalo, but the Boys in Green hit back through Liam Scales and Robbie Brady.

Former Norwich City striker Teemu Pukki could be in contention to return to Kanerva’s starting XI. Given the nation’s sorry start to the Nations League campaign, which included three defeats, there might also be defensive alternations.

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Finland Predicted XI

Kanerva will likely tinker with the team that lost midweek, and Oliver Antman’s attacking creativity might be under consideration. There will be an emphasis on defence, which might lead to some changes at the back. Matti Peltola is also available, and his defensive know-how might add more control in midfield.

Pohjanpalo was on the scoresheet against Ireland but could drop out of the side for Pukki, who knows all about England from his time at Carrow Road.

Finland XI: Hradecky; Stahl, Hoskonen, Ivanov, Galvez, Kamara, Schuller, Antman, Lod, Pukki, Antman

Substitutes: Sinisalo (GK), Joronen (GK), Uronen, Alho, Nissila, Tenho, Suhonen, Jensen, Walta, Keskinen, Pohjanpalo

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