Friday evening brings us a top six clash in the Finnish Veikkausliiga with 6th placed Ilves Tampere playing host to 5th placed SJK at the Ratinan Stadion with both teams keen to further cement their place in the Championship Round places.
Ilves made a good start to the new domestic top flight campaign, losing just one of their opening five games of the season but also picking up important wins against Oulu, KuPS and KTP, the latter two victories both being recorded on home soil.
Uusi viikko startattiin treeneillä!📸: @jooperkkila #ilves #keltavihreä #veikkausliiga pic.twitter.com/VlRJNY5iFn— Ilves Edustus (@IlvesEdustus) July 12, 2021
Uusi viikko startattiin treeneillä!📸: @jooperkkila #ilves #keltavihreä #veikkausliiga pic.twitter.com/VlRJNY5iFn
However, a three-match losing streak followed soon after and threatened to upset Ilves’s early season form as the hosts slipped to losses against Lahti, SJK and HJK in 3-1, 1-0.
2-1 defeats respectively, but it should be noted that all three losses were incurred away from home.
Ilves have since steadied the ship again with a three-match unbeaten run in the Veikkausliiga with home wins over Inter Turku 2-1 and a 1-0 win against Haka, while also picking up a point in a 1-1 draw on the road at KTP.
The hosts have won four of their opening five games at home to date this term with forwards Vertainen (4 goals) and Mommo (3 goals) leading the way.
SJK sit just one league position above Ilves but level on points with their Friday evening’s hosts, courtesy of a slightly better goal difference but the visitors head into this upcoming Veikkausliiga clash at the Ratinan Stadion on the back of a 2-1 defeat away at Lahti.
SJK had previously posted back-to-back home and away wins against fourth from bottom outfit, Mariehamn, but their inconsistent streak has often reared it’s head so far in this season’s campaign and has prevented SJK from putting an unbeaten run of results together.
This particularly looks the case with their results away from home as SJK have managed to register just seven away wins from their last 20 matches on their travels, failing to score in 10 of these games and losing nine of these 20 as well.
SJK’s problems on the road in the Veikkausliiga have also been evident in previous exchanges away from home at Friday evening’s hosts, Ilves Tampere, as well as the visitors have failed to win any of their previous nine visits to the Ratinan Stadion and this Friday may be no exception