KuPS Kuopio and HJK Helsinki meet at Savon Sanomat Areena, in a match for the 8th round of the Veikkausliiga. In the last head-to-head for this edition of the league, on 08-01-2020, the two teams tied (2‑2). The record of direct confrontations at this stadium is favorable to the visiting team, which in the last 7 matches won 3, tied 3 and lost 1. But the last time they met at this stadium was on 15-09-2019, for Veikkausliiga , which ended with the victory of the KuPS Kuopio by (1‑0). A. Purje (36 ‘) scored the only goal of the match. Attention to the home factor, since the KuPS Kuopio tends to achieve different results at home and abroad.
KuPS Kuopio :
The home team is currently in 1st position, with 16 points won, after 4 wins and 4 draws. In the penultimate match, they tied in an away match against HJK Helsinki by (2‑2). In the last match, they tied in an away match against Seinäjoen JK, by (1‑1). This is a stronger team with the support of its fans, since in the last 30 games it has registered 6 wins, 7 draws and 2 losses as a visitor; against 12 wins and 3 draws in his stadium. In the last 10 home matches for all competitions, KuPS Kuopio won 8 and tied 2.
For this competition, they did not lose any of the last 8 matches. His attack has scored regularly, as he has scored goals in 7 of the last 8 matches for this competition. The team does not usually have problems opening the scoring: they scored the first goal in 7 of the last 8 games for the Veikkausliiga, of these 7 they reached the break with a lead in 5 and managed to maintain the advantage until the end of the 90 ‘in 4.
Reigning Veikkausliiga champion, KuPS comes to this match motivated by being 1st place in the leaderboard and remaining undefeated in the competition. The team has played 8 games so far, won 4 and drew 4, totaling 13 goals scored and 5 conceded. This is one of the teams with the best balance between attack and defense, as they rarely lose their balance and still suffer few goals. Team scorer with 6 goals, Ilmari Niskanen scored 2 in KuPS last match against Helsinki and has a good chance of scoring again. At that time, under Helsinki, the teams tied 2-2. Now KuPS plays in their territory, where they won the 3 games they played, and they are sure to look for another victory.
HJK Helsinki :
After 4 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, the visiting team is currently in 3rd position, with 13 points won. In their last match, they tied with FC Lahti at home by (1‑1), after in the previous match having drawn at home, in a match against KuPS Kuopio, by (2‑2). This is a team little affected by the home factor, that is, it presents similar results at home and away, since in the last 30 games it has recorded 7 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses as a visitor, with 21 goals scored and 15 suffered; against 9 victories, 5 draws and 1 defeat in his stadium, with 31 goals scored and 13 suffered. In their last away match for this competition, they won (0‑2) against TPS Turku. In their last 10 away matches, HJK Helsinki has 6 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses. His attack has scored regularly, as he has scored goals in 6 of the last 7 matches for this competition. This is a team that tends to score many times first: they opened the scoring in 8 of their last 10 games, of these 8 they reached the break with a lead in 7 and managed to maintain the lead until the end of the 90 ‘in 7.
The team that plays this game at home is the greatest champion in the history of Finland, with a total of 47 national titles, 29 of which are from the First National Division. Despite having lost his hegemony in 2015, after dominating the competition for 6 consecutive years, he returned to the top in 2017 and won a double championship in 2018. Last year (2019), however, he ran an atypical campaign and ended only in fifth place. This year, the team reached the final of the Finnish Cup undefeated, they have not yet lost at home and their only defeat, on the third day of the current competition, was against Inter Turku (1-0), current leaders of the Veikkausliiga. HJK Helsinki is third, with 13 points in 6 games: 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, with a total of 13 goals scored and only 4 conceded. This team has balance in all sectors of the field and, as a result, they rarely lose. His solid defense always makes for a more peaceful victory, and his attack rarely misses on goal. Especially when playing at home, Helsinki is almost unstoppable, and has everything to confirm the favorites in this match.
PREDICTION: Both teams to score / YES @ 1,78
