Finland manager Markku Kanerva believes his players can subject Lee Carsley to further embarrassment by beating England this weekend. The Three Lions are still hurting from their surprise defeat at the hands of Greece and will be seeking an immediate response on Sunday.
The shock result at Wembley dented Carsley's hopes of managing England on a permanent basis, with reports suggesting that Thomas Tuchel has emerged as the new frontrunner to replace Gareth Southgate.
England will go into Sunday's game against Finland as the overwhelming favourites to win but Kanerva is hoping to spring another painful surprise on the Three Lions.
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In a press conference on Saturday, he said: "We know it's going to be a huge challenge for us to try to get a win or get a point from England, but surprises can happen and we believe in that."
Carsley has already overseen an England victory over Finland, with the two sides meeting at Wembley last month. A brace from Harry Kane was the difference on that occasion but it remains to be seen if England will execute a repeat performance on Sunday.
Finland winger Topi Keskinen believes England might be particularly vulnerable in the wake of their disappointing defeat against Greece, in which the Three Lions were second-best for large parts of the match.
"They conceded a couple of goals and had two goals offside," said Keskinen, who plays his club football for Aberdeen. "Of course, we can score.
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"I think we're going to get some chances because they didn't defend that well [against Greece]. We just have to make some right decisions and be lethal. We can hurt them."
England lined up in an experimental 4-2-2-2 formation against Greece but Carsley is expected to backtrack on those tactics for the game against Finland.
"I probably won’t try that again on Sunday," said the England boss on Thursday. "I have coached enough to know we need to do something different. Had Harry been fit I might have gone down another route.
"Do we need a reaction against Finland? Definitely. I have had enough setbacks in football to know you are never too far away [from one]. I have got to lead by example and I will. My belief in this team hasn’t changed."
