Honka - Haka preview

Honka (3rd) – Haka ( 6th)

EDIT: There was a price of 1.99 for Honka - 1 Asian Handicap and it really should not last long, I was afraid they would offer -1.5 with smaller odds, but obviously the odds are based on standings, not performances and team quality. In my current ranking Honka is 1st and Haka 11th, last time Haka won a game was against MYPA when they were at the poorest, and it was a long long time ago.


Honka :3-3-1-3-3-0
Haka: 1-0-1-1-1-0

H2H: 4-2-5
Last game in Veikkausliiga: 4.5.09 Haka – Honka 1-1

FC Honka suffered a serious blow for their hopes for championship last week when they lost surpisingly to Inter 2-3 at home. Haka have had a lot more problems lately and their winless run streches to 9 matches back, and last week they got badly beaten in Kuopio by 5-1. Haka surely remembers last season´s visit to Honka very well after being thrashed by 7-0. ”Honka will come like a storm, ” says Haka newly appointed player-manager Sami Ristilä, ” we need to eliminate their strenghts. Fortunately our injury list is shortish now, including only me, Corpache and striker Niko Ikävalko.”

Honka is now 5 points behind the leaders with 5 matches to go and winning the title is not in their own hands, but they are also still in the cup and will face an easy 3rd division team in the quarter finals, so there is still a lot to play for this season. There are no absentees for the home team.

Honka: 1 Tuomas Peltonen 16/0 – 20 Nicolas Otaru 18/2 - 13 Ville Koskimaa 10/1 - 5 Henri Aalto 13/0 - 6 Hermanni Vuorinen 21/14 - 28 Rasmus Schuller 14/2 - 10 Jami Puustinen 20/5 - 26 Jaakko Lepola 14/4 - 17 Demba Savage 19/4 - 19 Rami Hakanpää 20/2 – 21 Joel Perovuo 21/3

Bench: 27 Konsta Rasimus 1/0, 12 Janne Henriksson (gk) 6/0, 15 Aleksandr Kokko 15/0, 11 Hannu Haarala 12/0, 3 Roope Heilala 16/1, 14 Jussi Vasara 21/5, 7 John Weckström 8/1, 2 Sampo Koskinen 14/0

Out: 8 Markus Paatelainen 0/0 injured
Coach: Mika Lehkosuo

Haka: 1 Janne Korhonen 21/0 - 4 Markus Joenmäki 10/0 - 3 Petri Viljanen 13/0 - 21 Pietari Holopainen 17/5 - 22 Jarno Mattila 21/1 - 6 Sebastian Strandvall 20/6 - 7 Mikko Innanen 21/2 - 11 Antti Hynynen 19/5 - 41 Valeri Minkenen 11/0 - 8 Jani Kauppila 21/1 - 17 Kalle Multanen 1/0

Bench: 12 Saku Pesonen (gk) 0/0, 18 Jari Nikkilä 17/0, 10 Mika Mäkitalo 18/2, 19 Juuso Salonen 4/0, 26 Jhon Cagua 1/0, 5 Kalle Parviainen 0/0

Out:, 2 Diego Corpache 15/1, 20 Sami Ristilä 16/2, 9 Niko Ikävalko 18/3

Coach: Sami Ristilä


Yes, this will be a home win. I can see Honka creating some 25-30 goal chances and an easy home win in my books. In the straight win there is not that much value, but remembering how aggressively Honka start the games this might be the place to look for 1st half winner or totals for the first half.