Finland vs Russia preview: Debutants out to Finnish Russian hopes

Group B: Finland vs Russia, kick-off 2pm (UK time, BBC1)

Minnows Finland can secure their place in the knockout stage by beating Russia in their second Group B fixture.

The first-time qualifiers pulled off a shock on matchday one, overcoming an understandably below-par Denmark.

Russia, meanwhile, are rooted to the bottom of the group after a hapless display in their 3-0 defeat to Belgium.

They'll need a victory if they want to keep progress to the knockout stages in their own hands.

Story so far

Finland’s first-ever European Championship fixture was overshadowed by Christian Eriksen’s terrifying collapse mid-game.

However, Markku Kanerva’s men rallied when the match restarted a couple of hours later and Joel Pohjanpalo’s header proved to be the only goal of the game — and Finland’s only shot.

While the Danes had 22 efforts, they were unable to find a way through a dogged Finnish defence, also missing a second-half penalty through Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Russia, meanwhile, were on the receiving end of a ruthless display by Belgium in their opening match, losing 3-0 to the Red Devils.

But manager Stanislav Cherchesov insists his side can still progress. He said: “We are still in the tournament.

“We chose our system, which worked partially but then started to break down. The Belgians scored and then it was difficult to get the ball off them.”

Pukki party

Norwich’s Teemu Pukki bagged 10 goals during qualification but was unable to find the net against Denmark, having shaken off a niggle in the build-up to the game.

But there’s still hope of their talisman shining on the biggest stage yet.

Pukki's 26 goals helped Norwich secure promotion back into the Premier League last season, building on the 11 he bagged in the top-flight when the Canaries were relegated just a year earlier.

His return of 0.7 goals per 90 minutes put him joint-second in England's second tier last term and further enhanced his reputation as one of the most reliable finishers around.

Add in his impressive strength and line-leading ability and it’s no wonder Finland direct most of their attacking threat through him.

Gunning for Golovin

Aleksandr Golovin, 25, is one of just four members of Russia's squad not playing in the country’s own Premier League.

The midfielder caught the eye as Russia reached the 2018 World Cup quarter-finals, scoring a goal and providing two assists in that run.

Domestically, he functions in a creative role for Monaco. In 21 league outings last term, Golovin supplied the joint-third most assists (9) at a ratio of 0.8 per 90 — more than anyone else in Ligue 1.

Deployed behind Artem Dzyuba in the No10 role against the Red Devils, he wasn’t able to create anything significant.

But the former CSKA Moscow player will be expecting more opportunities to conjure up openings against the group minnows.

Russian wall

Finland opted for a more defensive 5-3-2 against Denmark with the aim of nullifying their more illustrious opponents in Copenhagen.

However, coach Kanerva could revert to the 4-4-2 shape which served the Eagle-Owls so well during their Euro 2020 qualification campaign.

Much will rely on getting service to Pukki and Pohjanpalo. The Norwich star was particularly isolated against the Danes, attempting just eight passes in 77 minutes on the pitch.

However, Russia’s 4-2-3-1 system, with Magomed Ozdoyev and Dmitri Barinov deployed at the base of midfield as a double-pivot will be tough to break down.

The duo made seven interceptions and attempted eight defensive duels between them against Belgium on matchday one.

Repeat display?

Finland sat incredibly deep against Denmark, as evidenced by their average position map (above) and although they’re bound to show more attacking intent, a repeat performance could be enough.

Russia mustered just one on-target effort against Belgium and if Finland can frustrate Cherchesov’s side and collect a point, they could have enough to go through as one of the best third-placed sides.