Interim England boss Lee Carsley will likely make some changes when his team face Finland in the UEFA Nations League.
The Three Lions lost to Greece for the first time in their history on Thursday as Vangelis Pavlidis scored twice to secure a deserved 2-1 win for the visitors at Wembley.
The result means Greece are in pole position to achieve promotion to League A, making England’s next game in Helsinki a must-win, both in terms of the group table and Carsley’s chances of becoming the permanent successor to Gareth Southgate.
The Sporting News looks at the likely lineups for each side ahead of Sunday’s fixture.
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Finland vs. England lineups, predicted starting 11, team news
Head coach Markku Kanerva could consider some changes after watching his side surrender a lead to lose 2-1 at home to the Republic of Ireland.
Oliver Antman is an option to come in to bolster the home side’s effectiveness going forward, but Finland’s shape is likely to be more conservative given the opposition.
Matti Peltola offers a more defensive alternative to reinforce midfield, having started the 2-0 loss at Wembley in September. Teemu Pukki could also return to the lineup, although Joel Pohjanpalo‘s goal against Ireland may count in his favour.
Finland predicted XI (4-3-3, right to left): Hradecky (GK) — Stahl, Hoskonen, Ivanov, Galvez — Schuller, Kamara, Peltola — Lod, Pukki, Antman
Full squad:
Goalkeepers: Lukas Hradecky, Jesse Joronen, Viljami Sinisalo
Defenders: Tomas Galvez, Leo Vaisanen, Robert Ivanov, Arttu Hoskonen, Adam Stahl, Juhani Pikkarainen, Miro Tenho, Nikolai Alho, Jere Uronen, Ilmari Niskanen
Midfielders: Matti Peltola, Glen Kamara, Robin Lod, Rasmus Schuller, Kaan Kairinen, Anssi Suhonen, Urho Nissila, Leo Walta
Forwards: Oliver Antman, Fredrik Jensen, Teemu Pukki, Benjamin Kallman, Joel Pohjanpalo, Topi Keskinen
Interim England boss Carsley freely admitted his 4-2-2-2 setup against Greece was a gamble that didn’t pay off, so he will likely revert to a more familiar 4-2-3-1 system here.
Harry Kane should return to the lineup after sitting out the defeat at Wembley with an injury concern. Bukayo Saka‘s injury in that game means all of Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer could keep their places in the 11, although Jack Grealish and Anthony Gordon will want to be involved.
We might see Angel Gomes slot back into midfield alongside Declan Rice, while there could be changes in defence after a torrid showing from the back four against Greece. Marc Guehi and Kyle Walker could start, while there may be a debut for Newcastle United left-back Tino Livramento.
England predicted XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Pickford (GK) — Alexander-Arnold, Stones, Guehi, Livramento — Gomes, Rice — Palmer, Bellingham, Foden — Kane
Injured: Bukayo Saka, Curtis Jones
Full squad:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Dean Henderson
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker, Rico Lewis, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Levi Colwill
Midfielders: Conor Gallagher, Angel Gomes, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Jack Grealish
Forwards: Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins, Dominic Solanke, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke
What time does Finland vs. England kick off?
This UEFA Nations League match takes place at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland and kicks off on Sunday, October 13 at 7:00 p.m. local time.
Here’s how that time translates across some of the major global territories:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Sun, Oct. 13 | 12:00 p.m. ET |
| Canada | Sun, Oct. 13 | 12:00 p.m. ET |
| Australia | Mon, Oct. 14 | 3:00 a.m. AEDT |
| UK | Sun, Oct. 13 | 5:00 p.m. BST |
| India | Sun, Oct. 13 | 9:30 p.m. IST |
Finland vs. England live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this UEFA Nations League match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | Fox Sports 1 | Fubo, Fox Sports App, Foxsports.com |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UK | ITV 1 UK, STV Scotland, UTV | ITVX, STV Player |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | Sony TEN 2 | Sony LIV, JioTV |
