The Cup in Finland has reached the 7th round, and here are the remaining 8 matches. All games at this point will be decided by 2 * 15 minutes extra time and penalty kicks if needed. The reigning Cup Champion is HJK, who beat Honka last year in the final after extra time. Financially the Cup is not a big thing, but it is the easiest way to reach European Competition for season 2010-2011.
Betting analyses to be added later.
TPV – TamU1st division 11th – League 6th
Quite surprisingly this is the match that will attract most attention and public this round. It is a derby, and TPV was one of the teams that gave birth to Tampere United some 10 years ago. The tension between these two teams is big, and despite that the difference in class this is the game where anything really is possible.
TPV is missing one key-player in Pasanen, but in this match there will no mercy as the connections between the teams are numerous and there is no love lost.
TamU have the best possible line-up available.
Bet: A good quality Veikkausliiga team playing home a relegation - threatened team from Ykkönen? TamU win with a handicap.
TamU - 1.5 @ 2.23Haka – JJKLeague 5th – League 12th
Haka is the most succesful club in the cup ever and they know how win the crucial cup games. The bad thing is, they obviously do not know how to beat JJK as they drew with them away, and embarrassingly lost 2-4 at home. Haka are missing Parviainen, Corpache and Viljanen for sure due injuries and a couple more players are doubful. Also Nicolas Kivistö has left the team. Stranvall and Hynynen are among the doubtfuls and their absence would really weaken the team.
JJK main target is survival in the league, but as there is a break in the league because of international matches there is a plenty of time to reecover after this battle, and there is no question JJK is coming back to Valkeakoski having in mind to repeat the 2-4 away win of Haka a few weeks ago. Christian Sund and Mika Lahtinen will miss the game due suspension, which, especially in the case of Sund, is only a positive thing for JJK.
Bet: The treat of the week! JJK are a bogey team for Haka who are sliding in the League into the positions they belong, lower mid-table. Do not get me wrong though, JJK is crap, but hopefully they learned something from the football lesson taught by Honka last week. Lots of injuries for Haka and extra-time is looming ahead, which unfortunately means that I miss my scheduled time at the sauna but the bet is well worth it!
JJK +1 @ 2.00!
TPS – FC HonkaLeague 1st – League 3rd
This is the dress rehearsal for the last round game in the League where possibly the championship will be decided. At the moment Honka is two points behind in the league, but like the home team they have been in top form lately and it is a long long time for both teams without a loss.
TPS have two important players suspended from this game, mf Wayne Brown who took deliberately a yellow card against MIFK to get the suspension for the cup instead of the league, and defender Igor Jovanovic.
Honka is pretty much the only team this summer who have been better than TPS, but the last encounter ended goalless at Honka earlier this season. Honka have rotated players a lot, injury list is short if non-existent and this is a chance for Honka to show TPS that also the league is still very much undecided.
Bet: Neither team have lost since A.D., but today TPS look more vulnerable than Honka, and it remains to be seen how they replace Wayne Brown.
Honka 0 @ 2.04.VPS – FC JazzLeague 7th - 2nd division group B 9th
VPS have been lucky with the draw. They already beat another second division team Futura easily and now they got another 2nd division team home. VPS will field a good line-up, and the quality difference is so big that an upset would really be an upset.
Not much to say about this match, a routine win to be expected.
KuPS – HJKLeague 14th – League 2nd
Main target for KuPS is to stay in the league, but there is no question they fight very hard to reach the last eight in the cup. Last time when HJK visited Kuopio they got away with a 0-3 win, which does not reflect the match as also KuPS had their chances.
HJK finally returned to the top spot in the league while KuPS remains on the relegation place, but as HJK defender Jukka put it, ” This is not the time to look at the league, and KuPS today is very difficult team to beat with players like Venäläinen, Koljonen, Ollo and Dickson.”
HJK defender Pyry Kärkkäinen is suspended, Medo and Haapala are injured while four other players are doubtful; Riihilahti, Fowler, Roiha and Dawba Bah.
Gnistan – FC Lahti2nd division group a 1st – League 9th
Gnistan from Helsinki have traditionally been playing at second division level – at Kakkonen. This season they have excellent work in their own league and are very close to being promoted 1st division. However, the individual skill level of the players is so much lower than of seasoned Veikkausliiga players that even with the home advantage and fighting spirit it is difficult to see any other result here than an away win.
Gnistan have a big group of players to choose from and Lahti is likely to rest some of their key players, but they are at least on the bench in case of emergency.
FC Inter – PoPaLeague 8th - 1st division 7th
Inter Turku hosts PoPa from Pori on a nearby stadion instead of their usual ground Veritas because of Women Euro 2009. The league success has been worse than expected and Cup remains the only way for International matches for next season. The key striker Timo Furuholm is suspended, winger Ats Purje is doubtful but otherwise the team is the best possible.
PoPa have been unsteady at first division, but still have hopes for promotion to the league. One of the most promising PoPa – players Samu-Petteri Mäkelä is cup-tied because he has already played Cup with TPS this season, defender Junnila is doubtful.
City Stars – Pallohonka3rd division - 2nd division group B 8th
City Stars from Lahti got relegated last season after very unlucky season, but with the saldo of 16-13-1-2 they have pretty much secured their place in the second division for next season by now.
Pallohonka, being a reserve team of Veikkausliiga team FC Honka have had a huge roster of players to choose from and it has been difficult to predict which ones are playing. The skeleton of team is made of U19 – players and sometimes the boys against men matches have been decided by skill in favour of Pallohonka and sometimes by experience and strength from the more seasoned players.
This is as far as either of these teams will go, in the next round the oppositing team is from Veikkausliiga and too much to handle, but both teams have enjoyed a good cup run and will fight for the spot for the final eight. There is not very much difference in the quality, home team is more experienced and away team is very skillful and fast. Goals are to be expected.
