FC Honka - TPS Turku preview

A top-clash in top conditions in the Monday night tv-thriller

Honka last six games from the right:0-3-3-0-3-3
TPS last six games from the right :3-1-3-3-3-3

H2H: 5-3-3. League Cup 21.3.2009 Honka – TPS 2-2

Another top-clash is on the menu on Monday night at Tapiola when FC Honka hosts TPS Turku in the tv-game. Both teams are in a good form, they have scored a lot and and an entertaining match is to be expected at the brand new pitch of Tapiola. The match against KuPS was actually the first real home game for Honka this season.

This is the half-way of the League and gives direction to the rest of season says Honka coach Mika Lehkosuo,” After this match we know better whether are we chasing the top positions or something else, ” he wonders. ”Hopefully the crowds turn out so we can produce another top performance like we did against KuPS. TPS has scored a lot lately and we need to emphasize how our defense is working. There is room for improvement in that department.”

Honka top goal scorer Hermanni Vuorinen has scored amazing 9 goals in the 12 games played, whereas TPS best goal-scorer danish Christian Andresen with five goals has already left the team. Riku Riski and Babatunde Wusu share the top position in the club score board with 4 scored goals each.

The key factors of this match are

* Honka line-up. Are the few hazardous players Koskimaa and Henriksson in the starting eleven? Probably not but you never know with Lehkosuo and his long-term plans;

* Can Demba Savage humiliate Iiro Aalto on the right flank?

* Intensivity of the game. I see commitment and cards. At least yellow.

* The humour of Hermanni Vuorinen. Is he trying too much? Is he constantly getting kicked at in the arse?

* Free-kicks of Joel Perovuo. Time to score?

* Time of the first goal. If they take this more cautiosly than the general public thinks this might become a low-scoring game after all. Give me 30 minutes without scoring!



No major absentees for neither of the teams, Christian Andreasen is permanently out of the TPS team now and has returned to Denmark, Honka injury list consists of long-term Markus Paatelainen who has not yet played at all, and mf John Weckström 6/1 who is recovering from clavicula injury.


Remember to check out Nordic Football Info for more info on nordic football!

Honka line-up is always a mystery, coach Lehkosuo has some 20 good players at his disposal and one option could be like this:

Honka: 1 Tuomas Peltonen 9/0 - 2 Sampo Koskinen 8/0 - 3 Roope Heilala 10/0 - 22 Tuomo Turunen 10/1 - 6 Hermanni Vuorinen 12/9 - 28 Rasmus Schüller 6/1- 10 Jami Puustinen 11/3 - 11 Hannu Haarala 6/0 - 17 Demba Savage 11/2 - 19 Rami Hakanpää 11/1 – 21 Joel Perovuo 12/2

Bench: 13 Ville Koskimaa 4/0, 26 Jaakko Lepola 7/3, 27 Konsta Rasimus 1/0, 12 Janne Henriksson (gk) 4/0, 14 Jussi Vasara 12/1, 15 Aleksandr Kokko 9/0, 20 Nicolas Otaru 10/2, 5 Henri Aalto 7/0

out: 8 Markus Paatelainen 0/0, 7 John Weckström 6/1

Coach: Mika Lehkosuo


TPS: 12 Jukka Lehtovaara 11/0 – 2 Iiro Aalto 11/0 – 5 Simo Valakari 7/0 - 6 Jaakko Nyberg 11/2 - 7 Sami Rähmönen 12/0 – 8 Jarno Heinikangas 12/0 – 9 Mikko Manninen 11/0 – 10 Riku Riski 12/4 – 28 Mikko Paatelainen 12/2 – 20 Babatunde Wusu 11/4 - 21 Wayne Brown 12/3

Bench: 3 Kalle Mäkinen 0/0, 11 Mika Ääritalo 2/0, 17 Roope Riski 0/0, 19 Patrik Lomski 6/0, 18 Chris Cleaver 8/0, 22 Jesse Saarinen 0/0, 29 Yll Hoxha 1/0, 23 Juho Lähde 0/0, 24 Jani Aaltonen 0/0, 25 Santeri Mäkinen 0/0, 27 Tuomas Markkula 0/0, 31 Alban Ferati 0/0, 14 Kasper Hämäläinen 11/0, 1 Jani Tuomala (gk) 1/0, 13 Samu-Petteri Mäkelä 8/0


Coach: Pasi Rautiainen

Edit prediction: Honka odds rose at least to 2.11 at Sbobet and it was time to react as there is absolutely no reason to it. I am not sure if they go even higher for a moment, but this is already a value bet. If someone twisted my arm I would predict 2-0 home win.

Edit: FT 0-0. Could had gone either way, corners 5-1, shots 11-9, cards 2-5. Honka more dangerous, but not dangerous enough. Of course the Honka line-up was again something unexpected fielding Henriksson, Koskimaa, Schuller, Lepola, instead of Turunen, Otaru and Heilala, but the guys on the pitch did their job really well.