San Marino vs Finland – News and Probable Lineups

In their attempt to recapture the spirit of their last appearance in this tournament, San Marino will host Nations League C opponents Finland at the San Marino Stadium on Saturday.

La Serenissima is eager to prevent another loss this weekend, while the Eagle-owls are determined to break their own streak of defeats.

Match overview

Roberto Cevoli’s San Marino enters this encounter as considerable underdogs, sitting 211th in the FIFA world rankings and having managed to avoid defeat only once since 2024.

Their ongoing sequence of 15 matches without a victory stretches back to a 3-1 triumph over Liechtenstein in November 2024, where goals from Lorenzo Lazzari, Nicola Nanni, and Alessandro Golinucci secured the win.

That victory was part of an unprecedented Nations League D campaign that allowed San Marino to gain promotion to League C by registering the first two competitive wins in the history of their national team.

Cevoli will find it challenging to replicate such success in the current competition, given the quality of teams in their group – Finland, Belarus, and Albania – with the aim being to limit significant defeats.

Nevertheless, it’s noteworthy that there will be no relegation from League C in the 2026-27 season due to UEFA’s format changes, potentially allowing San Marino to play with less trepidation.

On the other hand, Jacob Friis’s Finland are widely regarded as the strong favorites heading into Saturday’s fixture, even though they come into this match following a poor run themselves.

The Eagle-owls, ranked 75th by FIFA, have suffered defeats in their last three matches, following a 2-0 victory against New Zealand in late March.

In all fairness to Friis’s squad, their latest losses were to Hungary (2-1) and Germany (4-0) in late May and early June, and those outcomes were somewhat expected.

Finland returns to the Nations League aiming to bounce back after their relegation from League B during the 2024-25 season, and they will view the clash with San Marino as an excellent opportunity to start strong.

While some supporters might be wary due to their dreadful away record, which includes six losses from their last seven away games, the disparity in quality should see the Eagle-owls prevail comfortably.

Team News

San Marino may feature Nicolas Giacopetti leading the attack this weekend, supported by Samuele Zannoni and Samuel Pancotti.

Cevoli might choose a midfield trio of Alessandro Golinucci, Marcello Mularoni, and Matteo Valli Casadei, just in front of center-backs Dante Rossi and Giacomo Valentini.

For Finland, it is anticipated that they will field a striking partnership of Benjamin Kallman and Joel Pohjanpalo, with Queens Park Rangers’ Glen Kamara playing in support from midfield.

A three-man defense comprising Juho Lahteenmaki, Ville Koski, and Adam Stahl is expected to provide cover for goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, while Onni Valakari and Oliver Antman function as wing-backs.

San Marino probable starting XI:

De Angelis; Fabbri, Rossi, Valentini, Riccardi; Golinucci, Mularoni, Casadei; Zannoni, Pancotti; Giacopetti

Finland probable starting XI:

Hradecky; Lahteenmaki, Koski, Stahl; Valakari, Karinen, Markhiev, Antman; Rind; Kallman, Pohjanpalo

San Marino had a remarkable run in the 2024-25 Nations League, but it would be surprising if they manage to avoid a loss on Saturday.

Finland may not be in great form, but they likely possess enough attacking strength to secure a comfortable victory.