HJK v IFK Mariehamn, Wednesday 6:30pm
This is, somewhat surprisingly, a top of the table clash. IFK have already beaten last season’s champions, drawn with one of the favourites for this season, and had a regulation win over wooden spoon-chasers KuPS. This puts them level on points with HJK, who dropped their two points at home to draw specialists TPS.
Fowler is out for HJK, who will find things tougher than they did in the League Cup semi final. IFK coach Pekka Lyyski admitted that his side did not want to win that game, as it would have necessitated a midweek trip to the mainland less than a week before their season opener against Inter. Veikkausliiga’s sponsors still took bets on the game, however, as did most international bookmakers.
IFK’s motivation should be guaranteed this time though, making the game slightly harder to call. They are still massively undervalued with most bookmakers.
Draw
RoPS v Inter Turku, Thursday 6:30pm
The first game in lapland this Veikkausliiga season will be played at Susivouti (the name translates roughly as ‘Wolf Bailiff Park’), which is one of the less salubrious venues football has been played in Finland. Take a look for yourself (click on the picture). RoPS will play most of their games at Susivouti, with just one game to take place at the renovated Keskuskenttä: the potentially relegation-deciding clash with KuPS on 17 October.
If this game was played in halfway decent conditions, I’d be confident that Inter would win by some distance. As it’s at Susivouti, anything is possible.
Away win
JJK v Haka, Thursday 6:30pm
Haka will play their new Argentinian signing Gabriel Ruiz, who has signed from Gimnasia de Jujuy. Although advertised as ‘Argentinian top flight’ in the Finnish press, Gimnasia are hardly Boca Juniors. He has played at a much higher level than Inter’s Claudio Verino, and it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the Veikkausliiga tempo. Abdullah Ishika was going to play for the reserves on Tuesday, ahead of a possible return to the team at left back, but that may well be a plan for the medium term and not for the JJK game.
JJK are unbeaten so far this season, almost unbelievably. Their draw away at TPS was achieved despite the Turku side laying siege to their goal, and they will doubtless face a similar onslaught against Haka. Home advantage could count for something, as their attendances were very impressive last season, and for that reason (along with Haka’s uncertain form) we’ll predict a draw.
Draw
FF Jaro v KuPS, Thursday 6:30pm
Jaro pluckily brought a point home from their Turku double header, and were unlucky their haul wasn’t bigger. They will easily dispose of this year’s whipping boys on their home turf. Hopefully Sebastian Männström won’t get kicked too hard and will get a chance to reproduce strikes like this one.
Home win
FC Lahti v VPS, Thursday 6:30pm
Lahti are the third of Veikkausliiga’s unbeaten teams, and that record is unlikely to come to an end against VPS, whose best forward is actually called Inutile. The Vaasa side look anaemic in attack, and they will now be without their Albanian left back Ansi Agolli, who has returned to FK Tirana and will be replaced by Jan Berg.
Lahti coach Ilkka Mäkelä has just signed a new contract that ties him to the club until the end of the 2010 season, and with Raphael and Litmanen in attack Lahti should remain near the top of the league.
Home win
Honka v MyPa, Thursday 6:30pm
Demba Savage really impressed in Honka’s game at Haka on Monday. The Gambian is fast, skillful and passes the ball very well, and his introduction to the Honka side will help their title challenge. Their main problem seemed to be integrating Hermanni Vuorinen into the attack, as his skills on the ball were not quite up to the same standard as the players moving forward behind him.
Regardless of those issues, Honka will enjoy playing on the Töölö pitch, a much better surface than Valkeakoski’s potato patch. MyPa welcome Canadian striker Tosaint Ricketts into their squad for this game, but their indifferent form has mid-table written all over it. Their young squad is talented but slightly brittle, and it may take time for their foreign reinforcements to adjust to Finnish football.
Home win
May 6th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Agree with everything you said Egan, all your hours spent by the pitch watching horrid Finnish football have not been wasted after all!
The bookmakers have really only been watching the history in HJK – IFK Mariehamn match, but it is no use here. There are only two players in the starting eleven of last season´s team and the replacements are all individually better and also the team is solid and full of confidence.
Mariehamn might not win, but with a handicap of 0.5 up to 1.25 it is well worth a bet at a bookies near you. For example MIFK +1 at Sbobet is a very tasty bet at 2.07.
Most of the other matches are priced about right, Jaro & Lahti -1 are worth thinking about as is the possible goals galore at Finnair Stadium on Thursday when Honka hosts mediocre MyPa. (For some reason they want to write it MYPA nowadays, are they serious?
May 6th, 2009 at 11:49 am
It’s astonishing the way IFK are priced similarly to KuPS away from home. They’ve seemed like a good side with a well-organised defence, and they look quite tough to beat. HJK had problems with TPS, and this IFK team is a very different proposition to Haka, who were dominated by HJK. Even in that game, though, Haka could easily have snatched a draw late on after poor defending and finishing from the Helsinkians.
I’m with you all the way on MYPA. Ridiculous.