After the completion of the qualifying groups, we have the names of 21 certain participants in the European Football Championship, which is being played this summer in Germany. Three more teams are awaited, which will confirm their Euro visas through the play-offs thanks to their previous results in the Nations League. This time, we have prepared a duel between Wales and Finland for you. The start of the match between these two teams is scheduled for 20:45.
Wales: How to manage without Bale?
The Welsh national team has been a regular participant in major competitions over the past few years, a fact that certainly deserves every commendation. However, it must be noted that this team did not leave an overly good impression at either the European or the World Cup. Yet, as we have already observed, qualifying for a major competition is a significant achievement for this team. Looking back at the previous World Cup, it’s fair to say that the Welsh were in one of the supposedly weakest groups of the tournament, as they were with England, the United States, and Iran. It was more than clear that the last three teams would be fighting for the second spot and progression to the next stage of the tournament, something the Islanders unfortunately failed to achieve.
Unfortunately, following that World Cup elimination, the legendary Gareth Bale retired from the national team and active football playing. For years, he was the alpha and omega of the team and, among other things, the man most responsible for their last two appearances at major competitions. Bale’s departure was undoubtedly a huge blow to the Welsh team, but it was bound to happen at some point.
In the previous qualifiers for this year’s European Championship to be held in Germany, the popular Dragons finished third in their group, four points behind the second-placed Croatia. It seems that the Welsh players eliminated themselves, as the team drew their last two group matches. Particularly painful was the 1-1 draw in the penultimate round against Armenia away. In the final qualifying round, the Dragons drew at home against Turkey, with the score also being 1-1.
This was their last official match, and it’s evident that the team, led by Rob Page, faces a challenging task. They need to first eliminate Finland and then, in the grand final of the play-offs, secure a place at the European Championship, which is scheduled to take place in just a few months.
Finland: Can the Scandinavians Spring a Surprise?
Finland missed the last World Cup after finishing third in their qualifying group, just one point behind the runner-up Ukraine, who was later eliminated in the play-offs by Wales, Finland’s opponent tonight. However, the Scandinavians managed to qualify for the last European Championship, played nearly three years ago, marking their first-ever appearance at the Euros.
Although they didn’t advance to the knockout stage, it must be acknowledged that the overall impression was more than good, especially considering it was Finland’s Euro debut. Recalling the group stage, we remember that now-famous match in the first round against Denmark, which Finland won 1-0. This victory was overshadowed by the life-threatening incident involving Christian Eriksen, who collapsed on the field in the final minutes of the first half. The match was halted for an hour and a half, while medics performed CPR on Eriksen for over ten minutes on the pitch, before he was transported to the hospital in a conscious state.
Naturally, this situation and the ninety-minute interruption significantly affected both teams, but in the end, Finland achieved a historic victory from practically their only shot on goal. However, after that, Finland suffered two losses, first against Russia and then against Belgium, which meant the Scandinavians had to return home after the first phase.
In the previous qualifiers for the upcoming Euros in Germany, Finland finished third in their group, behind Denmark and Slovenia, who were four points ahead. Thus, Finland had to settle for a place in the play-offs, offering them a great opportunity to secure back-to-back Euro qualifications. However, the task is daunting, as they face Wales in the play-offs, a team known to perform quite well on their home ground.
In the qualifiers, Finland played ten matches, securing six victories but also suffering four defeats. A crucial setback was a series of three consecutive losses, against Slovenia away and then against Denmark and Kazakhstan at home. Notably, the loss in the latter match, especially on home soil, was one that the team should not have suffered.
Our Betting Suggestions
As we’ve already mentioned, Wales has been playing fantastically at home for years, and because of this, we advise you to try betting on a Home Win (1), for which betBonanza prepared odds of 1.92.
Don’t expect too many goals here, as the stakes are indeed huge, so we suggest trying the Total UNDERÂ 2.5 goals bet with an odds of 1.42 at betBonanza.
Finally, perhaps the ideal bet would be to focus on the combination of 1X and Total UNDERÂ 3.5 goals, for which betBonanza prepared odds of 1.27.
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