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Malta will welcome Finland to Ta' Qali National Stadium in their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification campaign opener on Friday. Neither team have qualified for the group stage of the World Cup thus far.
The hosts have enjoyed a good run of form and are unbeaten in their last four games, recording three wins. They concluded their UEFA Nations League campaign with a goalless draw against Andorra and missed out on direct qualification to League C.
The visitors lost all six games in the league phase of the Nations League and have been relegated to League C. They failed to score in their last two games in November, suffering a 1-0 loss to the Republic of Ireland and losing 2-0 at home to Greece.
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Malta vs Finland Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have squared off eight times in all competitions. As expected, the visitors have the upper hand in these meetings, recording five wins. Ħomor have one win to their name and two games have ended in draws.
- They last met in a friendly in 2018 and Huuhkajat recorded a comfortable 5-0 home win.
- The hosts are winless in their last six games in the World Cup qualifiers, suffering five losses.
- The last three meetings between the two teams have produced over 2.5 goals.
- Malta have lost just one of their last six home games including friendlies. They have kept clean sheets in their last three home games.
- Finland have registered two wins in their last five games in the World Cup qualifiers, while suffering three losses. Interestingly, they have conceded two goals apiece in the three losses.
- The hosts have seen under 2.5 goals in their last six games in all competitions.
Malta vs Finland Prediction
Ħomor are unbeaten in their last three competitive games, scoring two goals without conceding. They have registered just three wins in the World Cup qualifiers since their first appearance in the qualifiers in 1971.
The Eagle-owls have endured a poor run of form and have lost their last seven competitive games while conceding 17 goals. They have won four of their last 11 games in the World Cup qualifiers, with three wins registered in their travels.
There are no surprises in the squad selected by head coach Jacob Friis in his first game in-charge for the visitors. Teemu Pukki, Lukas Hradecky, Robert Ivanov, Joel Pohjanpalo, Benjamin Källman, and Glen Kamara are in the squad and should start here.
While Finland have been the dominant side in recent games in this fixture, their current form is a cause for concern. Malta, on the other hand, have recorded just one win in over 100 games in the World Cup qualifiers. With that in mind, a draw will likely ensue.
Prediction: Malta 1-1 Finland
Malta vs Finland Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
Tip 4: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
