Nordic Football News

Full rounds are for losers, so instead, Veikkausliiga continues  with Wednesday’s three games, all of which kick off at 6:30 PM.

Tampere United (11th) – FC Inter (7th)

Inter are a good team on their day, but they can also be a bad team, like last Sunday at HJK. To aggravate the problem, Patrick Bantamoi is suspended for this game because he has apparently been watching too much hockey. He brought down a HJK player with what would have been an impressive body check if it took place in the rink, but because the game was played on grass, he was awarded a Christmas card and a suspension. He is replaced by David Monsalve, who makes his Veikkausliiga debut.

TamU are half-decent in their own end of the pitch, but lack any and all imagination in the final third. Inter have similar problems with Mika Ojala injured, Guillano Grot playing inefficiently and Timo Furuholm still finding himself. On these grounds it’s not difficult then to predict that not many goals will be scored. Tampere United, despite their poor form and the fact that their title hopes have gone down the drain, are a very difficult side for Inter to play against. TamU are a physical side with the ability to demoralise Inter, who are lacking in the physical side of the game. Inter favour an expansive passing game, and in recent years Tampere United have been good in breaking it down. Inter have never won an away game at TamU and even their last home win is from 2004, so if you want a winner, you might want to try TamU. I expect a bore draw though.

TamU are weakend by the fact that no less than 7 first team players are missing, among them Tomi Petrescu, Toni Järvinen, Antti Pohja and possibly Jari Niemi. They don’t have much to choose from and should start suffering from fatigue anytime now. Apart from Bantamoi, who will spend the next two games trying to learn the secrets of the clean tackle, Mika Ojala is Inter’s only absentee.

Draw

VPS (9th) – HJK (3rd)

Tough to call, this one. VPS are hotter than hell right now, having won five games in a row. Then again, HJK have been at least reasonably good and have a material advantage over the hosts.

VPS goalkeeper Henri Sillanpää is back in training, but has found it somewhat difficult to kick the ball properly, so Henrik Moisander is more likely to start the game. Moisander is not quite of the same calibre, but still a good keeper, so whether Sillanpää is able to play is not a matter of life and death.

Tuomas Haapala and Ville Taulo are still doubtful for HJK, but Cheyne Fowler did pretty well as defensive midfielder against Inter, so HJK won’t be too concerned with their midfield. Now that Fowler has returned from injury, Medo can take a more attacking role in the midfield, which suits him much better than a defensive role. Jukka Sauso suffered a concussion against Inter, and either U21-hero Jukka Raitala or Juhani Ojala will replace him as centre-back. Paulus Roiha is also out for HJK.

A look at the odds recommends picking VPS here. It might not be as far-fetched as it may seem, but most likely the hosts will be on the defensive end of proceedings, and that being the case, I’d expect HJK to manage enough goals.

Away win

RoPS (13th) – JJK (12th)

RoPS have suffered two perhaps unlucky defeats, one last Sunday when Honka scored twice in the closing minutes and won 2-1 and another one last Wednesday when TPS were professional enough to score one more than RoPS. They have put in encouraging performances though, and against JJK it could start making a difference, as JJK are not quite as good as TPS or Honka. Furthermore, RoPS have the home advantage, which is surprisingly significant. The place is literally in the middle of nowhere.

This week’s issue of JJK states that JJK simply do not have the quality required to play in Veikkausliiga. Maybe, but somehow they are two points clear from the relegation zone with a game in hand against RoPS. The problem is that most of the points have come with their four draws, which should not be enough to keep them up. It may just happen, because even if they only drew against RoPS tonight, they are still two points ahead with a game in hand and have bought time in the relegation battle. Unfortunately, a draw could be a maximum at RoPS.

RoPS are missing Jarno Tenkula, JJK go into the game without Toni Koskela, Matti Lähitie, Antto Tapaninen and Niko Kautto.

Home win