Haka and Honka will clash on Wednesday, June 30 at Tehtaan Kenttä, marking a rematch from Thursday when Honka beat Haka 2-1 on their home ground. This time out, Haka will enjoy the support from their home fans, but will that be enough to avenge their loss?
Haka vs Honka
When: Wednesday, June 30 – 17:30 EEST
Where: Tehtaan Kenttä in Valkeakoski, Findland
Weather: Partly cloudy, 20°C
These two teams played one another in the previous round of the Veikkausliiga just a few days ago. Honka were the hosts in that game, although the attendance at their stadium was far from impressive. Fewer than 450 people showed up at Honka’s home venue, but they made the right decision.
The match was extremely exciting, with Honka getting a 2-1 win after trailing 0-1 at halftime. This time, Haka are the hosts, and they want revenge!
Although the Veikkausligga isn’t famous for having any meaningful home advantage (home sides win about 55% of the games), Haka do have a decent home record against Honka.
In fact, they have won 5 of the previous 10 head-to-head bouts at Tehtaan Kenttä, adding two draws and two losses. Are they going to win once again? Oddsmakers don’t think so, and neither do we!
Haka Still Without Two First-Team Forwards
Although Aleksandar Vucenovic and Jesse Huhtala aren’t exactly Haka’s key men, the two will surely be missed today. They’re both out of the game with injuries, meaning that Haka should look weaker in the attack.
That isn’t too exciting to hear, considering Haka have scored only nine goals on the season, albeit at least one in all of their last four outings.
It is worth mentioning that only two of those nine goals came via Haka’s attackers. One goal was the work of Vucenovic; the other was put away by Andrija Bosnjak, so missing two strikers might not be a huge concern for the hosts.
The 25-year-old Croatian striker is wearing the no.9 shirt, but he hasn’t been doing a very good job this season. Instead, it’s the midfield that’s doing all the heavy lifting for Haka. Winger Yartey Ismael has been their best player this season and will likely be the main threat for Honka’s goal this evening.
Honka Want to Lift Themselves up in the Veikkausliiga Standings
Honka finished last season in fourth, 11 points short of HJK, who won the league with only two losses and 48 points. The new season hasn’t started very well for the Espoo-based team, seeing how they managed only nine points from 10 rounds, which is good for the eighth spot in the standings.
They know that they belong in the top part of the table. That is why Honka players are going to be very motivated to win all three points against Haka. They did the same six days ago, marking only their third win of the season.
The reason why Honka hasn’t won more matches this season is the fact that their schedule has been pretty rough. They had to play against the last season’s champions, HJK, in the opening round and faced with 2019 Veikkausliiga champions KuPS in the match leading to their win over Haka.
Haka vs Honka Betting Picks
Even though they haven’t been showing it, Honka are fantastic in the attack, where they field former Barcelona B team player Jean Marie Dongou, who has scored seven goals from 13 outings last season. That earned the 26-year-old a spot among the top 10 scorers of the 2019/2020 season.
This season, he’s already got three goals to his name. His colleagues from Honka’s attacking department, Demba Savage and Darren Smith have two goals apiece.
Haka might be decent in the centre of the pitch, but that probably isn’t going to be enough against Honka, since they lack talent in other areas. The best scenario Haka should hope for is a draw, but even that doesn’t seem very plausible.
Pick: Honka +0.00 Asian Handicap (same as Draw no Bet)
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