FC Lahti - MYPA preview

FC Lahti (9th) – MYPA (11th)

Lahti: 3-1-1-1-3-0
MyPa: 0-0-3-0-0-0
H2H:5-4-9
Last game 14.05.2009 2-2

FC Lahti got kicked out of the Europe League on Thursday against Belgian Brugge with a 4-3 aggregate and they can now fully concentrate on the domestic league as their historical european adventures are over for this season. No team could be more welcomed than their local rivals MYPA. Both teams find the themselves from the bottom of the league, having gained 22 and 19 points respectively. Also the goal differences are almost equal, and the games between them have been even and low-scoring in recent years.

The games against Club Brugge were extremely useful, thinks Lahti legend Jari Litmanen after the game on Thursday, ” Unfortunately we could score another goal and go through to the next round, but we got them almost into the panic for the last minutes of the game. Too bad the header from Shala missed the target. These were very useful for us and a learning experience because these are much tougher games than in the domestic league. Everyone from our team must learn from these and want more of them in the future, but now the next important game is on Sunday against MYPA.”

MYPA have been loaning their younger players back and forth to Kakkonen teams MP and KTP in order to give them responsibility and valuable minutes on the pitch. Now it is turn to change the strikers, Maxim Votinov 12/2 will be replaced by Einari Kurittu 0/0 in hoping that someone from the team would find the net. The general feeling at MYPA is not too high, there is almost nothing to gain in the league except staying up anymore, and perhaps passing local rivals FC Lahti.

No new injury worries for neither teams, MYPA is changigng the younger personnel but no one of them have played any bigger role so far.

FC Lahti: 1 Viktor Szentpeteri 11/0 –15 Jukka Vanninen 15/0 – 3 Henri Toivomäki 16/0 - 4 Janne Moilanen 6/0 – 6 Kalle Eerola 14/0 - 13 Jussi Länsitalo 9/2 - 20 Jonne Kemppinen 15/2 – 11 Drilon Shala 17/5 – 14 Konsta Hietanen 16/0 – 19 Riku Heini 12/0 - 17 Eero Korte 17/2

Bench: 21 Kaarlo Rantanen 7/0, 22 Juha Tuomi (gk) 6/0, 16 Jussi Heikkinen 2/0, 9 Rafael 15/3, 2 Heikki Haara 14/1, 12 Toni Huuhka 13/1, 10 Jari Litmanen 9/0, 8 Mohamed Fofana 15/3

Unavailable: 7 Jukka Veltheim 2/0 for the rest of the season,

Coach : Ilkka Mäkelä


MYPA: 1 Antti Kuismala 14/0 – 4 Antti Uimaniemi 15/0 – 11 Ilari Äijälä 12/3 – 13 Toni Lindberg 12/2 – 16 Toni Huttunen 15/1 - 6 Tuomo Könönen 14/0 - 8 Ady 11/2 – 2 Miikka Multaharju 14/0 - 7 Ben Webster 14/0 – 9 Saku Puhakainen 15/0 – 14 Tosaint Ricketts 11/5

Bench: 5 Jarno Tuunainen 1/0, 15 Ville Oksanen 14/0, 12 Mika Johansson (gk) 1/0, 23 Niko Nakari 5/0, 24 Nebi Mustafi 9/1, 18 Tuomas Aho 14/0, 3 Sampsa Timoska 5/0, 17 Einari Kurittu 0/0 (back from loan at KTP)
Unavailable: 20 Felipe Benevedes 2/0 (lent out to MP), 19 Maxim Votinov 12/2 (loan to MP), 22 Roope Rautiainen 0/0 loan to (MP)
Coach : Janne Lindberg

Prediction: MYPA has been so gutless that even a tired Lahti should take care of them.