Lahti - JJK preview

Lahti (11.) – JJK (13.)
Lahti: 3-0-0-0-0-0
JJK : 0-1-0-0-0-0


H2H:1-0-1
Last game in Veikkausliiga:17.06.09 JJK – Lahti 2-1

FC Lahti have been mostly playing for fun and experimenting with new players from the bench as there is practically nothing at stake for them in the league and they are waiting for the Cup quarter-finals. Last week they lost at Mariehamn 2-0, and as JJK got beaten at Inter Turku by 3-0 the form of both teams looks very miserable. Lahti have lost last 5 and JJK last 4 games in a row.

JJK need desperately more points, but looks like the manager Ville Priha has also lost his nerves and has started toying with line-up with no success, but has managed to confuse his team and the fans. JJK have not gained any points in the last five games and quite deservedly so as they look like they are in wrong league, but they have a change of survival and the best possible opponents are exactly teams like Lahti who have lost interest of league completely.

Lahti need to straighten up, and fortunately for their supporters Lahti lost the first round game at JJK and get some extra motivation out of revenge. Important mf Jari Litmanen has been resting lately and has not been with the team a lot but instead stayed at his home in Tallinn, Estonia, but might take a role once more in the Lahti line-up.
No new injury worries for Lahti.

JJK are in desperate need of points and only the awful form of RoPS has kept JJK on the play-off spot for survival instead of dropping to the straight relegation zone. There is no more room for chasing their luck and hoping that RoPS do not get any more points, and every single match of late has been like a title game for them, and JJK have lost them all. The performances have not been good enough to even dream of any points, despite having no injury worries at all.

FC Lahti: 1 Viktor Szentpeteri 13/0 –15 Jukka Vanninen 19/1 – 23 Jarkko Värttö 2/0 - 2 Heikki Haara 18/1 – 6 Kalle Eerola 19/0 - 8 Mohamed Fofana 20/4 - 9 Rafael 20/4 – 11 Drilon Shala 22/6 – 14 Konsta Hietanen 21/0 – 19 Riku Heini 14/0 - 17 Eero Korte 22/2
Bench: 21 Kaarlo Rantanen 10/0, 22 Juha Tuomi (gk) 9/0, 10 Jari Litmanen 11/0, 20 Jonne Kemppinen 19/2, 13 Jussi Länsitalo 12/2, 3 Henri Toivomäki 20/0, 5 Jari Holopainen 1/0, 12 Toni Huuhka 18/1, 5 Juho-Matti Heikari 2/0

Unavailable: 7 Jukka Veltheim 2/0 for the rest of the season, 16 Jussi Heikkinen 2/0, 4 Janne Moilanen 7/0

Coach : Ilkka Mäkelä


JJK: 30 Mihaly Szerovay 20/0 – 25 Dejan Brankovic 4/0 - 5 Ik Kuyng Nam 20/7 – 7 Anssi Viren 20/1 – 9 Mika Lahtinen 22/4 – 10 Tommi Kari 19/4 – 14 Jukka Sinisalo 21/0 – 19 Christian Sund 19/1 – 13 Tuomas Latikka 21/0 - 23 Patrick Poutiainen 10/1 – 11 Georgij Hristov 8/1

Bench: 31 Antti-Jussi Karnio (gk) 3/0, 8 Matti Lähitie 15/0, 18 Zakaria Abahassine 15/0, 3 Janne Hannula 15/0, 22 Shkumbiu Arsllani 5/0, 6 Jukka-Pekka Tuomanen 13/0, 15 Antto Tapaninen 2/0

Out: 21 Toni Koskela 17/0 for the rest of the season

Coach: Ville Priha

Betting: I need to see the actual line-up of Lahti before deciding, but the quality difference between the teams is way bigger than the current standings might say.