Two sides sitting at either end of the Veikkausliiga table will meet this Friday as FC Lahti look to edge away from the relegation round positions when they play hosts to sixth-placed Ilves Tampere just past the midway point in the league season.
Despite there being only seven points between these two sides, they are in very contrasting areas of the league table and the form guide.
@IlvesEdustus on voittanut edellisen kerran pääsarjaottelun Lahdessa 30.5.91. Tuolloin Ilves kaapi 1-0-voiton @LahdenReipas ta vastaan. Tuon jälkeen Ilves on pelannut 14 sarjaottelua Lahdessa ilman voittoa. 8 otteluista on ollut FC Lahtea vastaan.#Veikkausliiga #FCLahti #LAHILV pic.twitter.com/JVuw03w6kn— FC Lahti (@FCLahti1996) July 28, 2022
@IlvesEdustus on voittanut edellisen kerran pääsarjaottelun Lahdessa 30.5.91. Tuolloin Ilves kaapi 1-0-voiton @LahdenReipas ta vastaan. Tuon jälkeen Ilves on pelannut 14 sarjaottelua Lahdessa ilman voittoa. 8 otteluista on ollut FC Lahtea vastaan.#Veikkausliiga #FCLahti #LAHILV pic.twitter.com/JVuw03w6kn
Lahti sit all the way down in 11th and are only above last place in the table by five points. What's more, they are the worst defensive side in the league with 37 goals being scored against them from their 16 outings so far.
Lahti have put in an acceptable record at the other end, however, with them now bagging 15 goals from the 16 fixtures to this point following on from their 3-1 loss to SJK.
That defeat, on the other hand, has further put them deeper into the losing column with them now losing all three of their last league games, receiving one red card in the process, while also letting in an almighty 12 goals and scoring just one of their own.
These other defeats in the past few weeks have come against KuPS in a 4-0 demolition job, before they also lost 5-0 to Honka just five days later.
The last victory for the club came against Inter Turku in a 2-1 win on home soil. What's more, Lahti also managed to defeat JaPS in a 2-1 victory in the Suomen Cup which has now set up a semi-finals encounter against KuPS.
Back in the league, however, they remain seven points adrift of sixth place which would get them into the championship round in a few weeks' time.
This place is, of course, occupied for Ilves, who are struggling for form themselves right now. They too are on a three-game winless run, but with a 3-3 draw against SJK last time out after losing 2-1 to HJK, there is still something to shout about.
The club also have a game in hand on a few teams around them, which means if they rack up all three points here, they could put themselves in a position where they will be comfortably sat inside the top six.
It’s hard to expect anything but a defeat for Lahti given their torrid form. Forebet predicts a win here for Ilves and for the game to see over 2.5 goals.