The 2022 Finland Veikkausliiga continues this weekend and on the 18th of June we have a meeting between HJK and AC Oulu.
The game will take place at the Bolt Arena and the hosts begin this round of fixtures in second place on 26 points, while the visitors are in fourth place on 15 points.
Tämä oli sittenkin vähän epäreilu pilkkukisa – Tånnander paljastaa torjuneensa yhdellä juniorikaudella (pienissä maaleissa) 45/55 rankkaria 😃💪🏻“Tämä vei takaisin vanhoihin hyviin aikoihin"https://t.co/UEfel15D6Q#HJK #Vepsu #SuomenCup #veikkausliiga https://t.co/U0yvpHH7jC— HJK Helsinki (@hjkhelsinki) June 15, 2022
Tämä oli sittenkin vähän epäreilu pilkkukisa – Tånnander paljastaa torjuneensa yhdellä juniorikaudella (pienissä maaleissa) 45/55 rankkaria 😃💪🏻“Tämä vei takaisin vanhoihin hyviin aikoihin"https://t.co/UEfel15D6Q#HJK #Vepsu #SuomenCup #veikkausliiga https://t.co/U0yvpHH7jC
HJK come into the match having required a penalty shootout to progress in the Suomen Cup. HJK were held to a 0-0 draw at VPS and the game went to penalties, with HJK holding their nerve to come out on top.
That result means HJK are on a 9 match unbeaten run in all competitions. They have won 4 of their last 5 matches and have recorded 6 wins from their 8 most recent Veikkausliiga fixtures, drawing the other 2 games.
Trends show in their 38 most recent matches in the Veikkausliiga, HJK have been undefeated 33 times and they are a difficult team to beat domestically.
HJK have won 3 consecutive home games in the Veikkausliiga and have won 6 of their last 7 league fixtures on home soil.
However, keeping a clean sheet has been proving problematic for HJK and they have seen both teams score in each of their last 4 home league matches. In fact, HJK have kept only 2 clean sheets in their last 11 home league games, which is a poor record.
AC Oulu make the trip to the Bolt Arena on the back of a 2-1 defeat at JäPS in the Suomen Cup. It was a disappointing result against a team in the second tier of Finnish football.
Having taken the lead just after halftime, AC Oulu conceded 2 goals inside the final 8 minutes of the match to be eliminated from the competition.
That result ended a period of good form for AC Oulu and they won their previous 3 matches in succession. One of those victories came in the cup and the other 2 wins were in the league. AC Oulu beat Lahti away and SJK at home in the Veikkausliiga.
Form in the league shows AC Oulu have not lost in 5 of their last 6 games in the Veikkausliiga.
However, they have been struggling to win on the road and have recorded just 1 victory from their last 11 away league matches. Both teams have scored in 4 of their last 5 league fixtures on the road.
Team news and HJK have plenty of options in attack, with Bojan Radulović, Casper Terho, Fabian Serrarens, Anthony Olusanya, and Atomu Tanaka all competing for a place in the team.
AC Oulu will be relying on Michael López to score their goals and he has 5 to his name this season. Only one other player has scored more than a single goal in the league for AC Oulu this season.
There is no doubt AC Oulu can score in this game and we expect to see both teams find the back of the net. However, with home advantage, HJK are the favourites to outscore their opponents and take maximum points.