Having given a good account of themselves on their debut in the European Championship so far, rank outsiders Finland meet a formidable Belgium side in their second successive match in St Petersburg on Monday.

Level with Group B rivals Russia on three points going into the final round, Markku Kanerva's men will go through with a win, or possibly even a draw, so getting his selection right will be paramount for the former schoolteacher.

Needing to find a way of taking a point off a much-rotated Belgium side, Finland are therefore set to rely on their defensive solidity which has seen them concede just once thus far.

Kanerva has seen full-backs Nikolai Alho (ankle) and Jukka Raitala (calf) overcome injury problems in the past week, with the latter expected to keep his place on the right of what will effectively be a back five when the Eagle-owls are out of possession.

Once again, Rangers midfield dynamo Glen Kamara is joined by veteran captain Tim Sparv in a resolute Finnish engine room, which will be significantly challenged by the returning talents of Axel Witsel and Kevin De Bruyne.

Up front, meanwhile, there has been speculation that Joel Pohjanpalo - whose match-winning header against Denmark made him the first Finnish footballer to score at a major tournament - may be sacrificed from the lineup, with MLS-based Robin Lod instead given the task of supporting star striker Teemu Pukki from a deeper role.

Pukki, who scored 10 of his nation's 16 goals in qualifying, has yet to get off the mark, as it was Pohjanpalo's 10th international goal (and third in as many games) that broke the deadlock on a dramatic night in Copenhagen last week. In fact, the Union Berlin forward is the only Finn to register an international goal since March, so it would be a brave move should Kanerva consider it necessary for the greater cause.

Finland possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; O'Shaughnessy, Arajuuri, Toivio; Uronen, Kamara, Sparv, Kauko, Raitala; Pohjanpalo, Pukki

> Click here to see how Belgium could line up for Monday's Group B game

Written by
Jonathan O'Shea