Finland v England LIVE: Nations League team news and line-ups as Lee Carsley faces Ollie Watkins dilemma
The Three Lions look to bounce back from a disappointing defeat to Greece at Wembley last time out
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England travel to Helsinki to face Finland at the Olympic Stadium this evening in the Nations League, with kick-off at 5pm BST.
The Three Lions enter the match off the back of a humbling 2-1 defeat to Greece at Wembley last time out, and they now sit three points behind the Greeks in the League B Group 2 table at the halfway stage.
Finland enter the match bottom of the table, having gained no points across three games, and lost 2-1 to Ireland in Helsinki last week.
Interim England boss Lee Carsley is under scrutiny after his experimental, striker-less line-up against Greece failed miserably, so his selection will be scrutinised closely with Ollie Watkins a candidate to come in as a recognised No 9.
Follow all the latest build-up, team news and updates below:
Northern Ireland fail to make chances pay in frustrating Belarus stalemate
Northern Ireland failed to make their chances pay as they were held to a frustrating 0-0 Nations League draw by Belarus in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary.
Michael O’Neill’s side had two goals ruled out and hit the post, all in the first half, but could not find the goal that would have sent them top of League C3 as their familiar lack of cutting edge proved costly.
Conor Bradley, given the captain’s armband, did as he usually does in another display of attacking verve, creating a string of opportunities for his team-mates – Jamie Reid in particular.
Northern Ireland fail to make chances pay in frustrating Belarus stalemate
Michael O’Neill’s side had two goals ruled out and hit the post in the first half.
Luckless Scotland suffer another late twist in Nations League
A reminder of some of the other home nations results from the past few days.
Che Adams had a last-gasp goal ruled out as luckless Scotland suffered a 2-1 Nations League defeat to Croatia in Zagreb.
Ryan Christie shot the disciplined visitors ahead in the 33rd minute from a tight angle before striker Igor Matanovic levelled three minutes later.
Steve Clarke’s side came under increasing pressure after the break and eventually succumbed in the 70th minute of the League A Group 1 encounter at Stadion Maksimir when Andrej Kramaric headed the home side in front.
Luckless Scotland suffer another late twist in Nations League
Croatia 2-1 Scotland: After conceding late goals in last month’s defeats, Steve Clarke’s side had a last-gasp equaliser ruled out in Zagreb
Wales surrender two-goal lead in sketchy draw with Iceland as Craig Bellamy maintains unbeaten start
A reminder of some of the other home nations results from the past few days.
Wales let a two-goal lead slip as Iceland stormed back to force a deserved 2-2 Nations League draw in Reykjavik.
Brennan Johnson maintained his remarkable scoring streak and Harry Wilson was also on target as Wales established a commanding interval advantage.
But Iceland substitute Logi Tomasson turned the game in the space of three second-half minutes as Wales were unable to stem a blue tide surging towards them.
Wales surrender two-goal lead in sketchy draw with Iceland as Bellamy still unbeaten
Iceland 2-2 Wales: Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson scored first-half goals before the hosts’ comeback
Who will win Nations League 2024/25 and what do England need for promotion?
England
Lee Carsley has a somewhat easier task as interim boss of the Three Lions, with England in B2. They were cruising after two wins from two, though that loss to Greece has put the Three Lions in second place with six points, three behind the Greeks, with the reverse fixture taking place in November.
England really should top the group and earn promotion back to League A - but Ireland, in the same group, have lost both their matches so far. Finland and Greece are games they need points from but they are away in both this time around.
For England, they had a chance to try out a few more unfamiliar faces or even established faces in different roles, as Carsley has already hinted at - but that seemingly failed against Greece, and the overarching aim remains promotion.
For that, keeping a 100 per cent record will for the rest of the campaign is a necessity now really, with the Three Lions needing three points against Greece in the return fixture in Athens.
Who will win Nations League 2024/25 and what do England need for promotion?
The Nations League takes centre stage once more this week as the international break returns and countries across the continent enter competitive matches once more, of a fashion at least.
While Uefa’s newest international adventure still divides opinion - and seriousness in team selections, perhaps - this season’s version does come with the usual backup qualifying spots for the next major international men’s tournament, in this case the 2026 World Cup.
In practice that means the four best group winners from the Nations League who don’t finish in the top two in World Cup qualifying groups will earn another shot at reaching USA, Mexico and Canada, by way of the playoffs. Here’s where England, the home nations and the rest of the major nations stand as we head into match rounds three and four.
Who will win Nations League 2024/25 and what do England need for promotion?
England and Wales are looking at promotion while Ireland and Scotland could face the drop
Talking points as England look to respond to Greece defeat against Finland
Defensive reshuffle?
After being opened up at the back on regular occasions by Greece, changes to the defence look inevitable.
Kyle Walker could come back in at right-back, Marc Guehi is expected to return at centre-back with Levi Colwill possibly switching to left-back.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is expected to keep the goalkeeper’s shirt, but will be under scrutiny after a chaotic display against Greece.
5 talking points as England look to respond to Greece defeat against Finland
Finnish them off
Finland are the lowest ranked team in the group and have been the whipping boys, having lost their opening three games.
England have never lost to them, though they were held to a goalless draw in Helsinki 24 years ago when Howard Wilkinson was caretaker manager before Sven-Goran Eriksson’s appointment.
Defeat for the Finns would put them on the brink of relegation to League C, but they are dreaming big.
Coach Markku Kanerva said: “We know it’s going to be a huge challenge for us to try to get a win or get a point. But surprises can happen, and we believe in that.”
5 talking points as England look to respond to Greece defeat against Finland
‘Carsball’ in question
Carsley’s decision to deploy five attackers without an out-and-out striker backfired against Greece, leaving England rudderless without the ball and toothless with it in an alarming all-round display.
The interim manager pledged to stick with his attack-minded approach, but a more familiar system will be in place in Helsinki.
“Probably won’t try that again on Sunday,” Carsley said. “I have coached enough to know we need to do something different. Had Harry been fit I might have gone down another route.”
5 talking points as England look to respond to Greece defeat against Finland
Helsinki is the next Nations League stop for Lee Carsley’s men.
Lee Carsley wants to see reaction from England against Finland after Greece loss
Interim England boss Lee Carsley expects a reaction to the deflating defeat to Greece as he returns to a “more conventional” system against Finland.
The Euro 2024 runners-up’s hopes of securing promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League received a blow on Thursday as Greece secured a late, but thoroughly deserved, 2-1 victory at Wembley.
Boos met the final whistle after Carsley’s experimental approach backfired, with the decision to deploy five attackers without an out-and-out striker leaving them imbalanced and disjointed.
Lee Carsley wants to see reaction from England against Finland after Greece loss
The Euro 2024 runners-up’s hopes of securing promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League received a blow with defeat to Greece.
I did not apply for England manager’s job, says Lee Carsley
Interim boss Lee Carsley has revealed he did not formally apply to become permanent England manager.
The Football Association turned to the 50-year-old for autumn’s Nations League fixtures after Gareth Southgate called time on his reign following July’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
Carsley has frequently sidestepped questions about whether he wants to become England boss on a full-time basis, including saying he will “hopefully” be returning to his role with the under-21s.
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