On Thursday, October 9, at 18:00 Central European Time, the Finland national team will play against Lithuania at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium in the sixth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Group G. Let’s look at the match details.
Finland
The Finnish national team is currently facing challenges, struggling to achieve solid results. Last year, their Nations League campaign was tough—they ended at the bottom of their group and were relegated to League C after losing all six matches. In World Cup qualifying, they started with a win over Malta, but surprisingly drew 2-2 with Lithuania. They followed that with a crucial 2-1 win against Poland but then lost 0-2 to the Netherlands and 1-3 to Poland again. Despite these setbacks, Finland is still in the World Cup race, sitting third in Group G with 7 points, three points behind Poland and the Netherlands.
Next up are matches against the Netherlands and Malta, making the game against Lithuania critical. Finland has never beaten Lithuania at home, with the only previous match in 2014 ending in a 1-0 loss.
Lithuania
Lithuania’s national football team is also struggling, which is evident in their results. In the last Nations League, they lost every match in League C against Kosovo, Cyprus, and Romania, leading to their relegation. In World Cup qualifying, Lithuania has not secured a victory after five matches, recording three draws and two losses. They drew with Malta twice (0-0 and 1-1) and also had a surprising 2-2 draw with Finland. With three points, Lithuania is fourth in Group G and has slim chances of advancing, especially with tough matches ahead against Finland, Poland, and the Netherlands.
Their winless streak has reached 13 games in all competitions, with their last victory coming in 2024 against Latvia in the Baltic Cup. Interestingly, Lithuania has never lost to Finland in their past encounters, adding more interest to the upcoming match.
Probable line-ups
- Finland: Joronen, Peltola, Koski, Uronen, Alho, Lod, Tenho, Kairinen, Antman, Källman, Pohjanpalo.
- Lithuania: Gertmonas, Leketas, Girdvainis, Armalas, Lasickas, Gineitis, Upstas, Antanavičius, Sirgedas, Dolzhnikov, Jansonas.
Key facts and head-to-head
- Finland has lost 3 of their last 4 matches.
- Finland has lost 4 of their last 5 home games.
- Lithuania is winless in their last 13 matches.
- Lithuania has lost 5 of their last 6 away games.
Finland vs Lithuania match prediction
Even with Finland’s recent struggles, they are a more organized team compared to Lithuania. The Finns will be eager to overcome the disappointing draw from their previous match, making a win crucial for their qualification hopes. Lithuania is in poor form, appearing unstable in their games, which makes Finland the favorite to win. I predict a victory for Finland, with odds of 1.49.