Denmark will contest their first competitive fixture since the World Cup against Finland on Thursday in the opening match of qualification for the 2024 European Championships.

The top two nations from the group of six – which includes Slovenia, Kazakhstan, Northern Ireland and San Marino alongside Denmark and Finland – automatically qualify for the continental footballing jamboree in Germany.

Key battle: Denmark captain Simon Kjær has only lost one of his previous 13 home European Championship qualifiers (W9, D3). He will be hoping to keep Finland star Teemu Pukki quiet as the striker looks to add to his ten goals in his last eight European Championship qualifiers (W5, L3).

Hot streak: Only one of Denmark’s last eight home games have seen both teams score.

Denmark form (all competitions):

WLWDLL

Finland form (all competitions):

DWDDLL

Denmark possible starting lineup:

Schmeichel; Andersen, Kjaer, Christensen; Kristensen, Hojbjerg, Norgaard, Maehle; Lindstrom, Damsgaard; Hojlund

Finland possible starting lineup:

Hradecky; Jensen, Hoskonen, Ivanov; Soiri, Maenpaa, Kamara, Suhonen, Niskanen; Pukki, Pohjanpalo

Denmark 2-0 Finland

Denmark may have faltered in Qatar, but Hjulmand has forged this side into a stubborn foe on home soil; since Euro 2020, the Danes have conceded two goals in their last nine games in front of their own fans.

Finland are hardly prolific at the best of times and the nation’s all-time top scorer, Teemu Pukki, comes into the contest without a goal for club or country since January – giving Denmark the edge in this qualification opener.