Finland vs England predictions: Bellingham to lead the way in high-scoring Nations League match | OneFootball

England’s wonderful start to life under interim boss Lee Carsley is over. The 2-1 defeat to Greece on Thursday night signalled the first collective intake of breath since Gareth Southgate’s departure and fuel for those who always said the grass wouldn’t be greener.

Carsley’s strikerless setup aimed to give England control of possession and creative flair at Wembley. While the Three Lions had 64 per cent of the ball, opportunities in front of goal were at a minimum and the unbalanced midfield allowed Greece to counterattack for fun.

Carsley then finished the game with two strikers on the pitch, with Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke unable to change the flow of a game that always looked to be getting away from the Euro 2024 finalists.

As such, it’s imperative that England go to Finland and win on Sunday evening. League B Group 2 was supposed to be a walk in the park after relegation in the Uefa Nations League, but right now, England are two points behind Greece in a race where only the top team is promoted to battle the elite.

Betting sites are keeping the faith with the Three Lions, pricing them at 1/3 to top their section, but Carsley has no further room to get it wrong, especially if he’s hoping to tie down the position on a full-time basis.

Finland head into the match with zero points on the board after three games, including a 2-0 loss to England in London. Markku Kanerva’s side conceded in the 88th minute to lose to the Republic of Ireland last time out and will need to put on a big performance whether England turn up in form or not.

You can forgive people for being excited when the England lineup dropped ahead of facing Greece. In the absence of Harry Kane, a combination of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka with Declan Rice holding was video game stuff, the kind of setup you’d expect Spain to play and nail.

It didn’t work. Most glaringly, Rice was often massively separated from his aforementioned teammates, who were stationed too high or too wide, leaving him easy to overrun in the middle. Palmer was then dropping too deep to collect the ball because it failed to reach him in dangerous positions further up the pitch, meaning he often stood closer to the defence than he did the attack. Not what you want from a man who recently bagged four for Chelsea when afforded creative freedom.

There was a glimmer of a decent performance from Bellingham amongst the mess, though. The Real Madrid midfielder flew around the pitch with energy and desperately tried to make something happen when it looked like it never would. His excellent run down the left set up Palmer for a great opportunity in the first half, but he skied it. Bellingham pressed hard after the break and it was his late run and calm finish on the edge of the box that got England back into the game at 1-1.

Even though defensive frailties ensued once more, Bellingham’s tendencies to come up big make him an interesting pick to score against a frail Finland defence. Football betting sites think there is a decent chance he grabs England by the scruff of the neck once more and proves he’s a game-changer with another goal.

Whoever gets on the scoresheet, one thing is very likely: there will be plenty of goals. Finland have conceded seven in three games so far and tend to capitulate when the first goes in, meaning an early strike for England could make it a comfortable night.

Over 2.5 England goals is no bigger than 6/4 on betting apps, which is pretty short for an away side in an international friendly

That said, England’s defending against Greece was poorer than we’ve seen in a long time. They are gettable. John Stones and Levi Colwill didn’t work as a pairing, often treading on each other’s toes with a narrowness that was exacerbated when Rico Lewis or Trent Alexander-Arnold got caught too far up the pitch.

Only a brilliant Colwill clearance spared Jordan Pickford from an embarrassing error. The England goalkeeper almost looked distracted in goal throughout the game and continued to give possession away and make poor decisions. VAR stopped it being a huge Greece win with multiple calls aiding England as the ball rested in their net.

Finland need to have a go–they have nothing to lose at this stage–so Carsley’s backline must show an immediate improvement.

The interim coach is likely to make plenty of changes to personnel and style as he continues to try and find the sweet spot. England must come out firing if they’re going to take the Nations League seriously, as any further dropped points will likely mean the embarrassing result of failing to get promoted back into League A at the first attempt.

England need a positive response to Thursday’s defeat to Greece and if they can click into gear in front of goal in Helsinki, it could turn into a good evening for new Betano customers.

Betano are offering a £15 free bet for every goal England score in Sunday’s Nations League up to a maximum of £60. That’s a potentially much higher sign-up bonus than punters will receive from other betting sites.

To qualify, open an account with Betano, make a minimum first deposit of £10 or more and then wager at least £10 on Finland vs England at odds of evens (2.0) or greater.

Responsible gambling

If you are looking to have a bet on Finland vs England, or any other sporting event this weekend, please remember to gamble responsibly.

Betting can be addictive and it’s important to stay in control of your betting. Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.