Finland vs England - UEFA Nations League: TV channel, prediction, team news and lineups

England swatted Finland aside at Wembley a mere 33 days ago but are now under enormous pressure to do so again as the pair reconvene in Helsinki.

Finland vs England Preview

After suffering one of the most humiliating defeats of their modern history on Thursday, England really need to get back to winning ways if they're to remain in contention to top this group. Having swatted aside both Ireland in Dublin and then Finland at home in September, most expected Lee Carsley's side to cruise through this Nations League B campaign, as they should, given that talent at his disposal. Well, in mid-week, the interim boss suffered a serious reality check.

In front of almost 80,000 supporters at Wembley, the Three Lions were deservedly beaten 2-1 by Greece, looking incoherent, confused and lethargic throughout. The Greeks actually had the ball in Jordan Pickford's net on five separate occasions, the assistant's flags coming to his rescue multiple times, along with a jaw-dropping goal-line clearance from Levi Colwill.

Nevertheless, Vangelis Pavlidis did fire the visitors in front shortly after half time, sparking wild celebrations in the away section. England appeared to have got out of jail when, three minutes from the 90, Jude Bellingham fired home an equaliser however, right at the end, following some catastrophic defending, Pavlidis pounded to pinch the points for Greece.

This is only the fourth time England has lost a competitive home game in front of supporters since Kevin Keegan's final match in charge in October 2000. Meanwhile, following friendly defeats at the hands of Brazil and Iceland, 2024 has become just the third year in which the Three Lions have suffered three defeats at Wembley, after 1977 and 1981.

It was a damaging night for Carsley, massively diminishing his hopes of keeping the job full-time, and in the context of this group, every game is now a must-win as England seeks to keep pace with Greece; remember, only the group winners are automatically promoted to League A, with the runners-up facing a League A third-place finisher in a two-legged play-off in March.

Meanwhile, Finland is also in desperate need of points as they seek to remain at second-tier level. In mid-week, despite taking the lead through Joel Pohjanpalo's calm finish, pouncing on some lackadaisical defending, the Eagle-owls were actually beaten 2-1 by Republic of Ireland at home, a potentially catastrophic defeat. This leaves Markku Kanerva's team pointless and rock-bottom of Group B2, in serious danger of dropping back into League C for the first time since the inaugural edition of the Nations League in 2018.

Overall, Finland has lost all four competitive fixtures they've played in 2024, beaten in seven of their last nine competitive outings, their sole wins in the last 12 months coming over Northern Ireland and San Marino. The Finns have never beaten England in 14 attempts, losing 12, the most they've faced any nation without securing a victory, and, despite the Three Lions' ongoing trials and tribulations, an away win at a sold-out Helsinki Olympiastadion seems very likely.

Finland vs England Head-to-Head Record

• Matches Played: 12

• Finland Wins: 0. Draws: 2. England Wins: 10.

Finland vs England: Last 5 Meetings

• 10 September 2024 - England 2-0 Finland: UEFA Nations League

• 24 March 2001 - England 2-1 Finland: World Cup qualifier

• 11 October 2000 - Finland 0-0 England: World Cup qualifier

• 3 June 1992 - Finland 1-2 England: International friendly

• 22 May 1985 - Finland 1-1 England: World Cup qualifier

Finland Team News

Markku Kanerva has chopped and changed his team throughout this Nations League campaign so far, starting 17 different players in just three games. Captain and goalkeeper Lukáš Hrádecký is a rare guaranteed starter, set to win his 96th cap, only six Finnish men have more. Teemu Pukki, now 34 years old, is Finland's all-time record goal-scorer and is second for all-time caps, 13 behind Jari Litmanen's record, but is not the first-choice striker anymore, with Thursday night's scorer Joel Pohjanpalo likely to lead the line again.

Finland predicted lineup vs England: (4-3-3): Hrádecký; Ståhl; Ivanov, Hoskonen, Galvez; Peltola, Schüller, Kamara; Lod, Keskinen, Pohjanpalo.

Finland Player to Watch vs England

Oliver Antman has come off the bench during both of the Eagle-owls' last two fixtures and, despite the fact he'll be a substitute again, he's worth keeping an eye out for. The Go Ahead Eagles striker has six international goals to his name, most-recently on target at Hampden in June, coming in just 15 appearances for his country, averaging a goal every 132 minutes, which isn't bad is it?

England Team News

Lee Carsley tried to cram all of his most-talented players into the team on Thursday; fair to say, this strategy backfired! Harry Kane wasn't even on the bench, and is unlikely to feature here either due to an injury suffered last weekend, while Bukayo Saka hobbled off shortly after half time at Wembley, so hasn't traveled to Helsinki, an undesirable concern for Arsenal supporters!

After deploying Jude Bellingham as a false nine against Greece, a failed experiment, to say the least, Ollie Watkins will surely lead the line this time, starting a competitive international for only the second time, with Dominic Solanke the alternative centre-forward.

In Saka's absence, either Cole Palmer or Phil Foden can be shifted out to the right, while despite an underwhelming display in mid-week, Anthony Gordon is still the most natural option on the left. Also, with no obvious left-back, Rico Lewis will continue to fill-in there, while Marc Guéhi could return in the middle. Levi Colwill and Declan Rice would sit out next month's key trip to Athens suspended if booked by referee Giorgi Kruashvili.

England predicted lineup vs Finland: (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Stones, Colwill, Lewis; Rice, Bellingham, Palmer, Foden, Gordon; Watkins.

England Player to Watch vs Finland

Cole Palmer was named England’s Men’s Player of the Year earlier this week despite only winning nine caps, totaling 318 minutes, scoring twice for his country last season. The 22-year-old has been on fire for Chelsea during this time frame but has rarely shone for the Three Lions, so will that change in Helsinki?

Finland vs England Prediction

England have now lost six of their last 12 UEFA Nations League games, but we can't see that trend continuing. Finland are a very limited side, as they displayed at Wembley last month, so England's attacking quality should see them to a victory that'll see them keep pace with group-leaders Greece, setting up a fascinating clash between the pair next month: Finland 0-2 England.

Finland vs England FAQs - UEFA Nations League

How to watch Finland vs England UEFA Nations League game on TV channel?

Finland vs England UEFA Nations League game will be available on the following TV channels;

• UK: ITV1

• USA: fuboTV and Fox Sports 1

• Canada: DAZN Canada

How to watch Finland vs England UEFA Nations League game on live streaming?

Finland vs England UEFA Nations League game will be available on the following streaming services;

• UK: ITVX

• USA: Foxsports.com, ViX and FOX Sports App

• Canada: DAZN Canada

What is the date and kick-off time for Finland vs England in the UEFA Nations League?

Finland vs England takes place on Sunday 13 October 2024, with kick off at 17:00 (BST), 12:00 (ET) & 9:00 (PDT).