Finland vs Malta Preview – Match Preview
Finland don’t have much chance left to finish in the top two of Group G, but they have done well against the weaker teams in the group.
They began their World Cup 2026 qualifying with a 1-0 away win over Malta. Oliver Antman scored in the 38th minute from a Benjamin Kallman assist. However, Finland could not perform well against stronger teams like the Netherlands and Poland.
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Most of Finland’s points came at home. They beat strong Poland 2-1 in June and Lithuania 2-1 in mid-October.
Malta are at the bottom of Group B with only two points from six matches. They have scored just one goal and conceded 16.
They did not look close to scoring in their away matches against big teams. In the 2-0 loss to Poland, Malta had an expected goals of only 0.19 compared to Poland’s 2.91, and they allowed 28 shots.
Their performance was even worse in Groningen against the Netherlands, where they lost 8-0, had only 35% possession, and produced just 0.16 expected goals.
Match Details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Match | Finland vs Malta |
| Competition | 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying |
| Date (Today) | 14 Nov 2025 |
| Kick-off | 10:30 PM IST ( 20:45 CET) |
| Venue | Ta’ Qali National Stadium |
| City | Malta |
Head-to-Head Stats
| Match Player | Finland Win | Malta Win | Draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Finland vs Malta – last 5 head-to-head encounters
| Date | Competition | Home Team | Away Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Mar 2025 | World Cup Qualifier | Malta | Finland | 0 – 1 |
| 27 Mar 2018 | Friendly | Finland | Malta | 5 – 0 |
| 04 Mar 2010 | Friendly | Malta | Finland | 1 – 2 |
| 31 Mar 2004 | Friendly | Malta | Finland | 1 – 2 |
| 25 Mar 1998 | Friendly | Malta | Finland | 0 – 2 |
Finland – last 5 Matches
| Date | Competition | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Oct 2025 | WC Qualifier | Netherlands | 0 – 4 (Loss) |
| 09 Oct 2025 | WC Qualifier | Lithuania | 2 – 1 (Win) |
| 07 Sep 2025 | WC Qualifier | Poland | 1 – 3 (Loss) |
| 04 Sep 2025 | Friendly | Norway | 0 – 1 (Loss) |
| 10 Jun 2025 | WC Qualifier | Poland | 2 – 1 (Win) |
Malta – last 5 Matches
| Date | Competition | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Oct 2025 | Friendly | Bosnia & Herzegovina | 1 – 4 (Loss) |
| 09 Oct 2025 | WC Qualifier | Netherlands | 0 – 4 (Loss) |
| 07 Jun 2025 | WC Qualifier | Lithuania | 0 – 0 (Draw) |
| 24 Mar 2025 | WC Qualifier | Poland | 0 – 2 (Loss) |
| 21 Mar 2025 | WC Qualifier | Finland | 0 – 1 (Loss) |
Finland vs Malta Team Comparison
| Team | Pos (FIFA Rank) | Played (Last 10) | W-D-L (Last 10) | Goals Scored (Last 10) | Goals Conceded (Last 10) | Goal Diff | Form (Last 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finland | ~72. | 10 | 5-1-4 | 10 | 12 | -2 | L, W, L, W, L |
| Malta | ~166. | 10 | 0-2-8 | 1 | 16 | -15 | L, L, D, L, L |
Finland vs Malta: Team strengths vs risks
| Team | Strengths | Risks / Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| Finland | Finland are strong at home with good teamwork and better attacking quality. They create more chances, stay organised, and perform well against weaker teams. | Finland struggle against fast and strong teams. Their defence can come under pressure, scoring can be inconsistent, and they sometimes have trouble stopping counterattacks. |
| Malta | Malta stay compact, defend with discipline, and try to frustrate opponents. They rely on unity and look for quick counterattacks whenever possible. | Malta have a very weak attack, concede many goals against stronger sides, struggle away from home, create very few chances, and find it difficult to stop quick wide attacks or set-pieces. |
Finland vs Malta Team News & Lineup
Finland (4-3-3):
Team news:
Finland will be without goalkeeper Jesse Joronen, defender Adam Stahl, and midfielders Roman Eremenko and Fredrik Jensen because they are injured. Modena midfielder Niklas Pyyhtia might play his first match for the national team. The most famous player in the squad is Teemu Pukki, who has played 131 matches and scored 42 goals for Finland.
Malta (4-3-3):
Team news:
Malta do not have any injury issues before this match. Steve Pisani, Jodi Jones and Kyrian Nwoko were not selected for the squad this time. Defender Zach Muscat is the most experienced player in the team with 76 appearances.
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Finland vs Malta Match Prediction
Malta are the weakest team in this group. They have scored only one goal in six matches and have never scored in Finland. I think Finland will win this match with a clean sheet and try to close the gap on Poland and the Netherlands.
| Market Result + BTTS | Pick | Why | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match Result + BTTS | Finland Win & BTTS: No | Malta struggle to score and have never scored in Finland; Finland are stronger at home. | ★★★★★ |
| Clean Sheet | Finland clean sheet – Yes | Malta have scored only one goal in six qualifiers and create very few chances. | ★★★★★ |
| HT/FT | Finland / Finland | Finland usually start well at home and Malta offer little attacking threat. | ★★★★☆ |
| Total Goals (safer) | Under 3.5 | Finland should control the match, but Malta defend deep, keeping the score moderate. | ★★★★☆ |
| Exact Margin (long shot) | Finland by 2 goals (2-0) | A comfortable home win is expected with Finland scoring steadily and Malta failing to reply. | ★★★☆☆ |
