MIFK - FC Lahti preview

IFK Mariehamn (4th) – FC Lahti (11th)

MIFK:1-1-3-3-1-0
Lahti: 1-3-0-0-0-0
H2H:1-5-7
Last game in Veikkausliiga: 14.06.09 Lahti – MIFK 1-1

IFK Mariehamn are first time this season under any pressure result-wise as now they seriously need win to fight for the 3rd spot. Having lost against Tampere United 1-0 away their dreams of even better success have gone, but there are gloomy faces in Mariehamn. ” We have been practisinf goal-scoring a lot lately. We have not won the games we should have because we have not scored enough, ” says IFK striker Sasha Anttilainen and continues, ” but we are not unhappy and there is no one else to blame. Our season has been a success so far and we are quite happy.”

FC Lahti have very little to play for in the league and all their plans for the rest of the season lie in the cup where they are more or less qualified for the final four after being drawn a second division team home for the next season. Lahti are resting their key players a lot, rotating the goal-keepers and looking for the future, but they are by no means an easy team to beat despite having lost 5-2 at TPS last week.

The only absentee for the home team is the suspended Johan Carlsson 17/1, Lahti have their captain Jukka Vanninen 19/1 suspended and a lot of injured and doubtful players, but they are likely to introduce some fresh faces anyway.



MIFK : 29 Gustav Långbacka 21/0 - 24 Mate Dujilo 17/1 - 6 Marcus Olofsson 20/3 – 22 Alexandros Pappas 20/0 – 23 Paulus Arajuuri 18/1 – 8 Kenneth Gustavsson 18/2 - 9 Ante Simunac 17/3 – 10 Tamás Gruborovics 20/5 – 15 Amos Ekhalie 10/0 – 30 Sasha Anttilainen 11/1 - 26 Wilhelm Ingves 19/3
Bench: 1 Willis Ochieng (gk) 1/0, 2 Dmytro Voloshyn 8/0, 18 Dmytro Pronevych 3/0, 11 Mika Niskala 19/1, 14 Arsim Gashi 18/1
Unavailable: 4 Johan Carlsson 17/1 suspended

Coach : Pekka Lyyski

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

Coach : Ilkka Mäkelä

Betting: It would be a sure home win if IFK had any decent strikers as Lahti have had to rebuild their defence. Now it is all in the open and I have a hunch of a o 2.5 despite the lack of strike-force for the home team, as the away team has plenty of in the form of Shala and Rafael.