HJK - Haka

HJK: 3-0-3-3-3-1 ----------------- Haka: 0-3-1-3-0-0

H2H: 7-6-6

29.04.2009 Haka – HJK 1-2

This is one of – if not the only – the real classic game of Finland. Two traditional and succesful clubs who used to share the champioships between themselves in the past. HJK did play against Lithuanian club Vetra in the Europe League, and after a nice away win they were found dreaming of the next round´s game against Fulham, and lost miserably 1-3 at home against a very mediocre Lithuanian side.

This game is all about finding their mental strenght and getting back to business. By winning HJK could strech their 4 point lead against Haka and TPS in the top of the table and wipe off the bad memories of the European games. By losing everything would be all open again in the championship and the season would practically start over.

The players and coach very devastated of the loss and coach Muurinen was on an analyzing mood after the game,” We have to think hard now if there have been too many games with this particular line-up. We played badly, and there were silly mistakes in the defense. I might bring in new players against Haka,” he ponders.

Haka have faced the reality after being on top of the table for most of the season, and have lost two home games in a row without scoring. Against their arch rivals they are giving some handicap in the form of the injury of df Diego Corpache 15/1 who will be out for the rest of the season, and the suspension of df Pietari Holopainen 12/5. There is also a chance that another df Jari Nikkilä is not available or fully fit cause of the recently started army sevice.

HJK: 1 Wille Wallén 15/0 – 3 Mikko Hauhia 14/0 – 5 Jukka Sauso 14/0 - 4 Mohamed Kamara 14/2 – 6 Cheyne Fowler 6/1 – 9 Sebastian Sorsa 15/4 – 10 Juho Mäkelä 15/4 - 13 Pyry Kärkkäinen 15/2 – 14 Valeri Popovits 13/3 – 17 Dawda Bah 15/3 – 20 Jukka Raitala 15/0

Bench: 2 Tuomas Kansikas 5/0, 12 Jani Viander (gk) 0/0, 21 Petri Oravainen 11/0, 26 Johannes Westö 2/0, 27 Mikko Sumusalo 1/0, 28 Nosh A Lody 0/0, 31 Akseli Pelvas 10/3, 32 Sami Salmi 0/0, 16 Jarno Parikka 14/3, 8 Ville Taulo 5/0, 18 Juhani Ojala 2/0

Unavailable:15 Paulus Roiha 3/0, 7 Tuomas Haapala 5/0

Coach : Antti Muurinen



Haka: 1 Janne Korhonen 15/0 – 20 Sami Ristilä 11/1 - 3 Petri Viljanen 9/0 - 4 Markus Joenmäki 5/0 - 22 Jarno Mattila 15/0 - 6 Sebastian Strandvall 15/2 - 7 Mikko Innanen 15/2 – 11 Antti Hynynen 14/4 - 10 Mika Mäkitalo 14/2 - 8 Jani Kauppila 15/0 - 9 Niko Ikävalko 12/2

Bench:12 Saku Pesonen (gk) 0/0, 16 Jani Bäckman 8/1, 28 Hans Denissen 5/0, 18 Jari Nikkilä 13/0

Unavailable: 5 Kalle Parviainen 0/0, 14 Valeri Minkenen 4/0, 15 Nicolas Kivistö 6/0, 2 Diego Corpache 15/1 rest of the season, 21 Pietari Holopainen 12/5


Coach : Olli Huttunen


Prediction: I do not know anymore what to predict. This was a sure HW, until the dismal performance against Vetra and the huge disappointment afterwards. Can not say if they have gathered themselves at HJK or not.

Edit: I will stick to my early price for HJK, unless I decide to take a sure 1-2 % with risen odds for Haka. Current line +-0.5 @ 1.8/2.13 could not get any closer to my estimation of this game.