Finland may be more fired up

It has the look of a game that could well be like a marriage made in purgatory, but then that's the sort of risk that is run when convenience is king in international football match-making.

Finland will take the field at Lansdowne Road this evening hoping to get another taste of "the British game" before travelling to England in March for the next of their World Cup qualifiers. The FAI, meanwhile, welcome them as budget opposition who can still put bums on seats and, therefore, a few bob in the bank on a free date in the FIFA calendar. With a prospect like that in the offing who would be crazy enough to suggest that the romance has gone out of the game?

As if the match's importance needed any undermining, Ireland manager Mick McCarthy said yesterday that this game is unlikely to influence him when it comes to picking his team for the World Cup qualifier in Cyprus after Christmas. Mind you he didn't say it with Shay Given, Steve Finnan or Dominic Foley in the room and if he had the chances are that none would have taken a blind bit of notice.

In fact, the Republic's manager makes five changes for this evening's game, three of which have been forced on him by the loss through injury of Roy Keane, Niall Quinn and Steve Carr.

The Tottenham defender had been struggling with a minor knee injury since arriving in Dublin on Sunday and yesterday McCarthy announced that he had decided not to risk aggravating either the player's joint or his manager by having Carr involved this evening.

On the goalkeeping front McCarthy had originally intended to give a half each to Shay Given and Dean Kiely, but after the latter's withdrawal the Donegalman now looks set to have the bulk of the game to himself. Alan Kelly, who McCarthy says will remain his first choice in the event that he is playing regularly come the spring, will start on the bench.

Steve Finnan's inclusion at the expense of Jason McAteer is the only other change made voluntarily by the Ireland boss who says that he views the Limerick-born Fulham player as an increasingly serious option for the right-sided midfield slot.

"Jason has done well enough to keep his place and, of course, he scored that wonderful goal in Amsterdam but like him, Steve is a very good footballer. Neither of them gives you what somebody like Kevin Kilbane gives us on the left, that ability to go past players and get crosses in but both tuck in well when they need to and contribute a great deal and I wouldn't have any hesitation in using Steve now in a competitive match, particularly away from home."

McAteer, however, is likely to get a runout this evening as McCarthy attempts to give as many as possible of those on the bench some part of the action.

In particular, he says, neither of the two Leeds players (Ian Harte and Gary Kelly), are likely to be asked to play the whole of the 90 minutes since they have been involved in so many tough games lately.

"I would like to see Richard Dunne and Gary Breen play the whole game, though, because I think the more international football they get under their belts together the better it will be for both of them," McCarthy added.

That, presumably, is bad news for young centre halves Jason Gavin and John O'Shea, both of whom, along with Sunderland striker Michael Reddy, will be amongst the substitutes when this evening's game kicks off.

The three have all reportedly impressed the manager since joining up with the squad, but even with the desperate lack of cover available to him in the heart of defence McCarthy suggested that his priority is their gradual integration into the panel.

Finnish manager Antti Muurinen, meanwhile, makes four changes from the side which gained a scoreless draw with England and so set the British media howling in Helsinki a month ago. A bizarre tactical approach from that most British of British managers, Howard Wilkinson, probably contributed to the fact that his side could not break down Finland. But so too did the fact that tonight's opposition aren't such a bad side, McCarthy insisted, having, he said, viewed a tape of the match with his players.

A 1-0 defeat in Greece four days before the draw with England would suggest that Finland are not so great either, but in Jari Litmanen they certainly have one outstanding individual talent while Mikael Forssell remains Finland's answer to our own Robbie Keane.

The 19-year-old striker appeared to have lost his way in England over the past couple of seasons, but having emerged as one of the stars of the summer's European Youth Championships in Germany, Muurinen will be hoping that Forssell can end a run of seven senior international games without a goal.

With Litmanen roaming freely around anything is possible. Even, you would like to think, a half-decent match.

Finland (probable): Niemi (Hearts); Nylund (HJK, Helsinki), Pasanen (Ajax), Tihinen (Viking), Saarinen (HJK); Johansson (Trelleborgs), Valakari (Derby County), Riihilahti (Valerenga), Kolkka (PSV Eindhoven); Litmanen (Barcelona), Forssell (Crystal Palace).