Preview: Finland vs Belarus - prediction, team news, lineups

Hoping to continue their strong start to the UEFA Nations League C campaign, Finland will welcome Group One rivals Belarus to Helsinki Olympic Stadium on Tuesday.

The Eagle-owls could secure back-to-back wins for the first time this year, though the White Wings are keen to get back on track.

Match preview

Jacob Friis's Finland arrived at the September international break in dire form, but victory on matchday one has given fans reason for optimism.

The Eagle-owls suffered three defeats on the bounce across the spring and summer, losing on penalties to Cape Verde in March, before being hammered 4-0 by Germany in late May and beaten 2-1 by Hungary in June.

Those results, coupled with being forced to watch World Cup 2026 from the sidelines, did little for Friis's side's morale ahead of the 2026-27 Nations League.

However, Finland pulled off a 7-0 demolition of San Marino on Saturday, and while the win was not unexpected, the relentless attacking display will have bolstered the team's confidence.

Playing their first home clash of the current Nations League iteration on Tuesday, the hosts will be expecting to deliver another strong showing, considering the Eagle-owls' record of three wins from their last four matches on their own turf.

Meanwhile, Belarus have enjoyed a strong 2026 under Viktor Goncharenko's, who was appointed in January, but they stumbled last time out.

The White Wings won three and drew one of their four outings prior to the Nations League opener, a spell that extended their unbeaten run to a commendable six matches.

Unfortunately for Goncharenko's side, that impervious stretch came to an end on Saturday, when they were unable to respond to first-half goals from Kristjan Asllani and Ernest Muci during a 2-0 beating by Albania.

Belarus will be desperate to prove that the defeat was a one-off, but it is notable that they have only come out on top against nations ranked above 80th by FIFA this year, drawing 2-2 with 62nd-ranked Burkina Faso in June, before their loss to the 67th-ranked Red and Blacks.

That being said, the more positive amongst the White Wings' faithful would highlight that Tuesday's visitors have only tasted defeat once on the road since October 2025, a near-12 month period that features wins over Cyprus and Armenia, as well as a 2-2 stalemate in Denmark.

Finland Nations League form:

Belarus Nations League form:

Team News

Finland have been unable to call upon midfielders Naatan Skytta and Niklas Pyyhtia, the latter of whom is recovering from a hand injury, though Leo Walta, Adam Markhiev and Kaan Kairinen should be ready to start on Tuesday.

Further forward, striker Joel Pohjanpalo will keep his place in the XI after bagging a hat-trick against San Marino, and he is expected to be supported by Adrian Svanback and Benjamin Kallman in attack.

As for Belarus, centre-backs Zakhar Volkov and Ivan Tsikhamirau will be protecting Fedor Lapoukhove between the posts, desperate to avoid another defeat.

Max Ebong and Aleksandr Selyava look set to form the visitors' double pivot, while Valeriy Gromyko operates in the number 10 role.

On the flanks, Artem Kontsevoy and Yevgeniy Malashevich should be on hand to provide width, supplying centre-forward German Barkovskiy.

Finland possible starting lineup:

Sinisalo; Keskinen, Koski, S Miettinen, Lahteenmaki; Kairinen, Markhiev, Walta; Svanback, Pohjanpalo, Kallman

Belarus possible starting lineup:

Lapoukhov; Kalinin, Volkov, Tsikhamirau, Pechenin; Selyava, Ebong; Kontsevoy, Gromyko, Malashevic; Barkovskiy

We say: Finland 2-1 Belarus

Finland may have been in poor form prior to the Nations League's opening matchday, but their attacking display against San Marino will give the team a boost in confidence.

Belarus have been strong on paper this year, but the reality is they have faced less than stellar opposition, and it would not be surprising to see the visitors lose in a narrow fashion on Tuesday.

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