Lahti and Mariehamn meet at Lahden Stadion, in a match for the 18th round of the Veikkausliiga. The two teams tied (2‑2), on 09‑09‑2020, in the previous meeting for this edition of the league. The record of direct confrontations at this stadium is favorable to the visiting team, which in the last 5 matches won 3, drew 1 and lost 1. Indeed, the last time these two teams met at this stadium was on 01-09-2019 , in a match for the Veikkausliiga that ended with the victory of Mariehamn by (0‑1). A. Ekhalie (65 ‘) scored the only goal of the match. Particular attention is needed for the home / away condition, as both teams present significantly different results at home and away.
Lahti :
After 5 wins, 7 draws and 5 losses, the home team is currently in the 8th position, with 22 points won. In their last match, they lost to Inter Turku away by (3‑0), after in the previous match they had won by (0‑1) away, in a match against SJK. This is a team that, curiously, tends to achieve more positive results as a visitor than at home, since in the last 30 games they have recorded 8 victories, 3 draws and 4 losses as a visitor, with 29 goals scored and 23 suffered; against 5 victories, 5 draws and 5 defeats in his stadium, with 20 goals scored and 21 suffered. For the championship, Lahti won 10 points out of 24 possible, after 2 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses in the last 8 games they played in their stadium. In their home league matches the most frequent final result at half ‑ time was 0‑0 (3 out of 8 matches). The team allowed goals to the opponent in 8 of the last 10 matches, so they have not presented great defensive strength, but their attack has scored regularly, since they have scored goals in 9 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In 17 games in this competition, he never got the comeback in the 6 games in which he suffered the first goal. In the last 9 home matches for all competitions there is 1 period that stands out: they have conceded 6 of their 11 goals between minutes (76’ ‑ 90 ‘).
The local team comes to this game unmotivated by a defeat on the last round, away from home, by 0x3. After having spent 2 days without losing, having won in one and drawn in another, the tough defeat in the last match, despite having been against a team seeking leadership in the competition, was disappointing for the team. That is because Lahti started the championship very well, coming to stay (on matchday nine) only one point behind fourth place (occupying sixth position). Currently, however, after having won only once in the last 8 rounds, this team has fallen to eighth position in the table and is 5 points behind fourth place. In total, in 17 games, Lahti has 5 wins, 5 losses and 7 draws, with 23 goals scored and 26 suffered. On the other hand, it is worth remembering that the history of this team, at home, is more balanced: there were 2 wins, 2 losses and 4 draws in 8 games. Therefore, by facing a direct rival on the leaderboard (ninth-placed Mariehamn) in this match, the probability is that Lahti will achieve a positive result.
Mariehamn:
The visiting team is currently in 9th position, with 20 points won, after 5 wins, 5 draws and 7 losses. In the penultimate match, they lost at home to Ilves by (0‑2). In the last match, they lost at home to KuPS by (0‑2). This is a stronger team with the support of its fans, since in the last 30 games it has registered 3 wins, 3 draws and 9 losses as a visitor, with 21 goals scored and 34 suffered; against 5 victories, 5 draws and 5 defeats in his stadium, with 22 goals scored and 18 suffered. For the championship, Mariehamn won 8 points out of 24 possible, after 2 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses in the last 8 matches they played as a visitor.
For this competition, they have not won any of the last 4 away matches. Their defense has not been very strong, since they have suffered goals in 8 of the last 10 matches, but their offense has scored regularly, since they have scored goals in 8 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In their home matches there is a tendency for goals, since 7 of their last 8 matches for this competition have ended with Over 2,5 goals. In 17 games in this competition, he only managed 1 comeback in the 9 games in which he suffered the first goal. There is 1 period that stands out in the last 9 away matches for all competitions: they have scored 6 of their 14 goals between minutes (76’ ‑ 90 ‘).
IFK Mariehamn comes to this match in a terrible phase, because they have not won in this competition for 6 days (after 3 draws and 3 defeats). With the latest results, the team that plays this away game fell from fifth to ninth in the table in this period. Mariehamn currently has 20 points added in 17 games, with a total of 5 wins, 5 draws and 7 losses, with 25 goals scored and 31 suffered. As we can see, it is a team that, despite having the habit of scoring, mainly through the top scorer Albion Ademi (with 12 goals scored), has serious defensive problems and is among the teams with the most goals suffered from the competition. Therefore, although Mariehamn have a good chance of scoring in this match, the home factor must be relevant in this match between teams of similar quality.
PREDICTION: Lahti to win @ 1,90
