AC Oulu - Tampere Utd preview April 18th 2010

Asian handicap price limits for betting in the table

	AC Oulu	TamU
-0,5	2,63	1,61	0,5
-0,25	2,17	1,86	0,25
0	1,84	2,19	0

AC Oulu (promoted as a winner from Ykkönen) – Tampere United (7th 2009)



Venue Castrén, artificial pitch.

Weather chilly, possibility of snow

TV coverage Urho web - TV. Streams?

Latest results of Oulu: Boden – Oulu 0-2 f, Oulu – Honka 1-1 lc, TamU – Oulu 0-3 lc
Latest results of TamU: PoPa – TamU 1-3, KuPS – TamU 3-1 lc, TamU – Oulu 0-3 lc

Program the following week:
TamU – JJK April 23rd league
MyPa – Oulu April 24th league
VPS – Oulu April 21st Cup


Injuries:
Oulu will miss Tommi Kauppinen for the whole season
TamU- ?

Doubtfuls:
Oulu – Joonas Pennanen
TamU – striker Jonne Hjelm has been on a test camp in Slovakia and might be stuck at the airport

several minor doubts, DeMattia just returned from Brazil. Clearance?

Club form and performances:

Oulu did very well in the league cup with their promoted side who is from the most important parts unchanged. Oulu winning 0-3 at Tampere in March is remembered well in both camps, and the result reflected the match performances. TamU have had their share of injuries and for the media the coach and staff have tried to hide behind being ”under very hard training and being stiff”, but there is more to that as the performances have been weak, there roles of the new players have not been found and they are far from being a solid unit and helping one another. Mentally it has been a tough pre-season for Tampere Utd, who are supposed to be one of the big guns of the league but have been destroyed by the likes of KuPS, Oulu, VPS and JJK in the league cup.

Key factors:
A battle between the managers Juha Malinen of Oulu and Ari Hjelm of TamU. Both have been around for a long time and have had their share of success. Supposedly TamU should have the advantage on the pitch, but it has hardly been shown. A waiting game is to be expected, mistakes in defense will be crucial. TamU striker Henri Myntti has been left alone up-front, and as a previous defender in his career he can not do miracles with the ball. TamU might not even have a bench full of subs, but it is the players on the pitch who decide the outcome the matches, not the ones on the bench.

Oulu have a set piece- specialist in former NT player Mika Nurmela and a winner from a free-kick would not surprise me the slightest.


Questionmarks:
TamU form and away form in particular. Last season they earned 12 points on their travels (3-3-7) and nothing suggests any better at this point of the season. TamU midfielder Tuomas Haapala who is taking the role of a play-maker, and it does not really suit him as he is more a destroyer than creator of anything.  Sooner or later also the manager Ari Hjelm will find that out, but as long he is left responsible for the creativity TamU is slow in the attack and very predictable.


You can check the official lineups 1 hour before the kick-off from www.Veikkausliiga.com ; choose "tuloksia" from the left, then scroll down to see your match and pick "tapahtumat"

Two matches tomorrow. Laters!

ask for details from puntteri@gmail.com