No updates for price estimations but a lot of chit-chat. Use the sheet sent earlier for reference.
Inter Turku – FC Lahti
Inter signed a contract with a nigerian striker Daniel Osinachi, who has been with the team already during the league cup. ”Daniel brings versatility to our attacking department and he is clearly a different type of a player than Furuholm and Grot”, announced Inter coach Job Dragtsma. Osinachi will be available already tonight.
Timo Furuholm is not fit to play and is the only player definitely unavailable from Inter, FC Lahti also have only long-term absentees Haara, Huuhka and Moilanen who will miss the game.
Result-wise Inter´s start to the season is acceptable, a home draw 1-1 with MIFK and 0-1 away win at Jaro, but as the results show there is a problem. Scoring goals. Furuholm has been the only player for several season´s at Inter who can score from an open play, Mika Ojala is very dangerous but from set pieces only. The most entertaining player lately has been winger Kennedy Nwanganga, who can challenge the defenders and create something for himself and for the team, and last round he was also responsible of the winning goal.
The team is very well joint together, there are several capable goalies to choose from and defensively they are one of the best in the league. What they lack at the moment is a leader to the midfield – and the finisher. I doubt whether Osinachi is the answer, but perhaps tonight will give at least an partial answer to that?
Players to follow in this match from Inter; def Henri Lehtonen, the left-back and the captain. Match winner mentalitity, likes to support the attack and tackle dirty. Mf Mika Ojala, superb free-kicks to be expected. Forementioned fw Osinachi, interesting to see if he starts the game.
FC Lahti are a weaker, but actually a more interesting team to follow. Jari Litmanen is known everywhere in the footballing world since his glory days at Ajax as a CL – winner and on his travels at Barcelona, Liverpool, Rostock, Malmö, Fulham.. and now back where it all started almost 40 years ago, at Lahti.
Another Lahti icon Rafael is always a starter when fit, Pekka Sihvola did score a bagful at goals at Ykkönen and has shown that he is dangerous also on this level, and Jonne Kemppinen as a super-sub completes the attacking department. Strikers are top value, the midfield with Riku Heini, Eero Korte, Jukka Vanninen and Fofana is at least midtable quality which means that the problems are down south. The whole defense line is new as all the long-term absentees are defenders. Jarkko Värttö is a quality defender, though inexperienced on this level, Paraguian Hugo Miranda just returned to the country after several years, and he forms the center-back duo with Northern Irishman Tennant McVea who got a deal with Lahti after being rejected at IFK Mariehamn. Another full-back position is the most vulnerable at the moment until Egyptian Omar Yassin get his paperwork done, and there have been experiments which all have pretty much failed. Tonight the pressure will probably be on Marko Heikari.
A weak defence like this really should not be burdened by two goalies who both share the same feature; stability. Neither of them is to be trusted in the long run, and their inabilities between the posts cost too many points for Lahti this season to dream of any good spots.
Lahti earned a point away KuPS, and lost home vs. Jaro in the opening round but in that match the defence was even in more shambles than usual. Pretty much anything can be expected from this match and hopefully it is at least good entertainment!
