Tainio not Finnished yet with the Cats!

Aug 30 2009 by James Hunter, Sunday Sun

“The only way you can get that match fitness is by playing in games.”

After yesterday’s game at Stoke, Sunderland and the rest of the Premier League take a fortnight’s break while the latest round of international fixtures are held.

Finland face important games in Azerbaijan on Saturday and then in Liechtenstein the following Wednesday, with the Finns looking to challenge leaders Germany and second-placed Russia for one of the two qualifying spots in Group 4.

Tainio says his return to action was perfectly timed for him to get some match fitness ahead of those games.

He said: “It was good to get back playing again ahead of the international games - you need to be playing games if you want to be involved in the national team.

“We still have a chance of qualifying, but if we are going to make it, we need to win our next two games against Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein.

“We need six points from those games.”