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Northern Ireland take on Finland at Windsor Park in Group H of the 2024 European Championship qualifiers on Sunday.
The visitors, who have lost their last five matches in all competitions, will be looking to arrest their slump and get their campaign up and running.
Northern Ireland got their race for a place in Germany off to a flyer as they secured a 2-0 victory over San Marino on Thursday.
This followed an underwhelming run in last year’s UEFA Nations League as Michael O'Neill’s men finished third in League C with just five points from six matches.
While Northern Ireland will look to build on their midweek result, they have managed just one victory since November 2021.
Elsewhere, Finland kicked off their qualifying campaign with a disappointing 3-1 loss against Denmark on Thursday.
The Huuhkajat were undone by a spirited Rasmus Winther Højlund as the Atalanta striker scored a hat-trick to hand Kasper Hjulmand’s side a comfortable victory.
Finland have now lost three games on the bounce since playing out successive draws against North Macedonia and Norway in last November’s friendlies.
Northern Ireland vs Finland Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- With four wins from the last seven meetings between the nations, Northern Ireland hold a slight upper hand in the history of this fixture.
- Finland have picked up one fewer win in that time, while the spoils have been shared on two occasions.
- Northern Ireland are unbeaten in their last four games against Finland, claiming two wins and two draws since a 1-0 loss in February 2003.
- O'Neill’s side have picked up just one win in their last five home matches, claiming two draws and losing twice since November 2021.
- Finland are without a win in their last five matches across all competitions, stretching back to last September’s 2-0 victory over Montenegro.
Northern Ireland vs Finland Prediction
Looking at recent meetings between the sides, Northern Ireland have a slight edge heading into Sunday’s encounters. We are backing O'Neill’s men to build on their opening-day win and see off the visitors, albeit by the odd goal.
Prediction: Northern Ireland 2-1 Finland
Northern Ireland vs Finland Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Northern Ireland
Tip 2: Both sides to score - Yes (Both sides have scored in their last four encounters since Finland claimed a 1-0 win in February 2003)
Tip 3: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been three or more goals in four of Northern Ireland’s last five games)
