What: FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier (Group I)
Who: Finland vs Spain
When: Friday 6th September, 2013, at 19:30 UK Time
Where: Helsinki Olympiastadion, Helsinki, Finland
Aiming for First
Still stinging from their thrashing at the hands of Brazil two months ago in the Confederations Cup final, Spain return to action in 2014 World Cup qualifying with a tricky trip to Helsinki to take on Finland. On paper this is no contest, however the Finnish side created quite a stir back in March when they held Vicente del Bosque’s charges to a 1-1 draw in Gijon. They achieved the feat with only 18% possession and were able to hold on for a historic point thanks to a late strike by Teemu Pukki. Though it was a shock to the system for Spain, they still control their own destiny with respect to Group I, as after five matches they hold a one point lead over second-placed France.
With two matches remaining after the qualifier against Finland, against Belarus and Georgia, both at home, Spain will have taken a giant step toward Brazil 2014 with a victory in Helsinki. There has been some shifting in the squad by Del Bosque. Chelsea’s Spanish trio of Fernando Torres, Juan Mata and Cesar Azpilicueta have all been dropped from the squad for the match against Finland and the friendly versus Chile next Tuesday. Add to this the absence of injury victims, Xabi Alonso, Javi Martinez, Sergio Busquets, and Thiago Alcantara, and it is apparent why the likes of Real Madrid’s Nacho Fernandez and Manchester City’s Javi Garcia have received call-ups. It is a testament to Spain’s immense depth that they can afford to either not select or miss out on several quality players and not consider it a crisis.
The Road to Improvement
When Mixu Paatelainen was appointed Finland national team manager in March 2011 he was given a mandate to improve the side and attempt to qualify for a major competition. The former Hibernian boss has done well enough in his two and a half years in charge, leading his country to a winning record and a rise of more than 20 places to 65th in the FIFA World Rankings.
It would be a minor miracle to see Finland qualify for next year’s World Cup, as they currently sit third in Group I, four points behind France in second place with three games to play. Conceding a late equaliser in Belarus in June was a back-breaker as a victory then would have had them closer to their more illustrious rivals.
If nothing else, the side have shown improvement under Paatelainen’s reign and the average age of the squad has fallen as he has focused on bringing in younger players. Having already grabbed a point away in Spain, Finland will be dreaming of going one better at home. If they are successful it would send shockwaves through the football world and give them a fighting chance of qualifying for Brazil, however unlikely that seems.
Recent form
Finland:
Finland 1-0 Belarus (07/06; World Cup Qualifying)
Belarus 1-1 Finland (11/06; World Cup Qualifying)
Finland 2-0 Slovenia (14/08; Friendly)
Spain:
Spain 0-0 Italy (27/06; Confederations Cup)
Brazil 3-0 Spain (30/06; Confederations Cup)
Ecuador 0-2 Spain (14/08; Friendly)
Players to watch
Finland – Teemu Pukki: The 23-year-old striker is having quite the year, culminating in his move to Celtic from Schalke last week on a four-year deal with the Scottish champions. He has been in superb form for Finland in 2013, having scored some vital goals, the biggest of course his equalizing goal against Spain last March. With a great deal of experience in his native Finland, Spain (Sevilla), and Germany already, this is a youngster who could do extremely well at Celtic with his technical ability and knack for scoring, and Spain will have to keep an eye on him.
Spain – Iker Casillas: Though most observers will agree that Casillas is not expected to be put under much pressure against Finland, he will certainly be scrutinised at Helsinki’s Olympiastadion. After being dropped last season by then-Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho, the 32-year-old has seen new boss Carlo Ancelotti keep him on the bench in favor of Diego Lopez too. Del Bosque however has come to the veteran goalkeeper’s defence and has insisted that despite his lack of playing time, Casillas remains his first choice. It has been somewhat of a fall from grace for a player long considered one of the world’s best goalkeepers, but in Del Bosque, Casillas has a manager who trusts him with the number one spot.
Match Predicition
Anything other than a routine win for Spain would come as a real surprise. Then again Finland have already done the trick earlier this year in Spain by holding the world champions to a 1-1 draw. Could lightning strike again? The answer is most likely not. With the home support behind them, Finland could prove to be a tough proposition for Spain once again and a blow-out is unlikely. That said, Spain will want automatic qualification for Brazil from this group and should come through unscathed having just too much quality on the night against a brave Finnish team. Finland 0-2 Spain.
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