Malta kick off their World Cup qualifying campaign at home to Finland on Friday night and we're bringing you our tips and predictions for the game.
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Malta vs Finland prediction: Away win and a clean sheet?
Key Stats
- Malta have never beaten Finland before with the pair meeting on six previous occasions.
- Under 2.5 goals have been produced in each of Malta's last six fixtures.
- Finland haven't scored more than one goal in any of their last six matches.
Correct score prediction: Malta 0-1 Finland
Malta should prove to be a tough side to beat on Friday night but we are backing Finalnd's added quality to see them to victory. Malta haven't conceded a goal in any of their last four matches but none of those games were against a team with Finland's ability. However, the Scandinavians failed to impress during the recent Nations League where they only managed to score a total of two goals in their six group games.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Finland the clear favourite
- HOME: 23/4 (6.75) – 14.8%
- DRAW: 29/10 (3.90) – 25.6%
- AWAY: 11/17 (1.65) – 60.7%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Finland are the expected winner of this game with a probability of 60.7% and we agree with the bookmakers on this prediction.
You can find all our predictions for today's games on our football betting tips page.
Most recent H2Hs: Finland dominate
Friday's guests have won each of their last five games against Malta, claiming a 5-0 win when the pair last locked horns back in 2018.
International Match 26/03/18
Finland
Malta
Malta preview: An improving nation
Malta are currently enjoying a four-game unbeaten streak across all competitions and will be full of confidence heading into Friday's World Cup qualifier against Finland.
Malta managed to come away with a point from their final Nations League game at home to Andorra, despite having defender Gabriel Mentz sent off after just 17 minutes. The game ended goalless in the end and Malta would have been disappointed not to have secured all three points following a trio of wins heading into that match.
Forward Jurgen Degabriele is the most notable absentee from the latest Malta squad and the Hibernians' player will be a big miss as he has scored five goals in 27 appearances for his country.
Predicted lineup: Bonello (GK), J. Borg, Shaw, Pepe, Camenzuli, Teuma, Guillaumier, Pisani, J. Mbong, Buhagiar & P. Mbong
Europe - World Cup Qualifying 24/03/25
L
Poland
2
Malta
0
Europe - World Cup Qualifying 21/03/25
L
Finland
1
Malta
0
UEFA Nations League D 19/11/24
D
Andorra
0
Malta
0
International Match 14/11/24
W
Liechtenstein
0
Malta
2
UEFA Nations League D 13/10/24
W
Moldova
0
Malta
1
Finland preview: Struggled in the Nations League
Finland suffered defeats in all six of their Nations League group games and will be desperate to make a positive start to the World Cup qualifiers.
The Scandinavians ended the campaign with a 2-0 defeat at home against a strong Greece side in November and only managed to score two goals in the entire tournament.
Marcus Forss, Robert Taylor and Pyry Soiri have all missed out on Jacob Friis's latest squad selection.
Predicted lineup: Hradecky (GK), Alho, Ivanov, O'Shaughnessy, Uronen, Lod, Kamara, Kairinen, Hakans, Pohjanpalo & Kallman
Europe - World Cup Qualifying 24/03/25
D
Lithuania
2
Finland
2
Europe - World Cup Qualifying 21/03/25
W
Malta
0
Finland
1
UEFA Nations League B 17/11/24
L
Greece
2
Finland
0
UEFA Nations League B 14/11/24
L
Rep of Ireland
1
Finland
0
UEFA Nations League B 13/10/24
L
England
3
Finland
1
Player to watch: Joel Pohjanpalo
Joel Pohjanpalo has been selected as our player to watch on Friday night as the Palermo striker is a potential match-winner for Finland.
Pohjanpalo, who scored six goals in 20 Serie A appearances this season before moving to Serie B side Palermo, has scored four times in six games for his latest club.
Pohjanpalo scored one of Finland's two goals in the recent Nations League
The Finnish striker scored one of his country's two goals during the recent Nations League and he heads into Friday's game in great form, having scored six goals in his last ten appearances at club level.