Denmark v Finland betting tips: Tough opener for debutants
Published:
Preview and odds for Saturday’s match
Finland do not have far to go to make their debut at a major tournament when they face Nordic neighbours Denmark in Copenhagen.
The Finns are hoping to defy the odds and make an impact at the finals after waiting so long to qualify but face a daunting task against the Danes in their capital city.
Saturday’s match is live on BBCi and kicks off at 5pm as we highlight a few potential Denmark v Finland betting tips.
Denmark v Finland match odds
The odds suggest Finland are the weakest team in Group B and they are 7/1 underdogs heading into their opening match while they are 33/20 to avoid defeat.
Their recent results have done little to suggest they can cause an upset, having failed to win any of their last six matches, although they did beat France 2-0 in a friendly in November.
Denmark have a much better pedigree, having been crowned European champions in 1992, and are 9/20 to make a winning start having been unbeaten in Copenhagen during qualifying.
They have only failed to win four of their 13 matches in the past year, losing twice to Belgium and drawing with England at home (0-0) in September and Germany away (1-1) last week in a warm-up game.
Only three of those games produced goals at both ends and ‘no’ in the both teams to score market is available at 4/9 while a Denmark win to nil is 19/20.
Denmark v Finland head-to-head
Finland only have to travel a short distance to face Denmark but are without a win in Copenhagen since 1949.
The most recent meetings have been close contests, though, with Denmark winning the last two by a one-goal margin – a trend which is 21/10 to continue this weekend.
Goals are usually in short supply when these teams meet too, with under 2.5 goals paying out in seven of the last 10 games. That is an option at 8/15 in the Denmark v Finland odds.
Previous XI
Finland: Hradecky, Arajuuri, Toivio, Vaisanen, Raitala, Kamara, Lod, Schuller, Soiri, Pohjanpalo, Forss.
Team news
Teemu Pukki has been training normally for the past 10 days and reported no fresh fitness issues with his ankle ahead of Finland’s moment in the spotlight.
Key battles
Finland will be relieved that Pukki appears to have won his fitness race and will be ready to feature.
The Norwich striker is undoubtedly the main man for his country, scoring 10 of their 16 goals in qualifying, and is 9/2 to be on target here.
He will have to get past Kasper Schmeichel to do so and the Leicester goalkeeper will be full of confidence after his FA Cup heroics while Denmark will hope Christian Eriksen can find his best form after a difficult season at Inter Milan despite winning the Serie A title.
The midfielder, who takes penalties for Denmark, is 4/1 to open the scoring.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
