The Finnish Veikkausliiga dishes up a tasty showdown between Inter Turku and KuPS Kuopio at Veritas Stadion on Monday evening.
Ahead of Matchday 16, second-placed KuPS are level with first-placed SJK on 31 points, although the league leaders have two games in hand.
FC Inter - VPSHT: 0-1#fcinterturku #veikkausliiga pic.twitter.com/ES4uwZbHQs— FC Inter Turku (@FCInterTurku) July 12, 2023
FC Inter - VPSHT: 0-1#fcinterturku #veikkausliiga pic.twitter.com/ES4uwZbHQs
On the flip side, Inter Turku find themselves sixth – 13 points shy of KuPS and one point inside the top six.
Inter Turku head into Monday’s clash on the back of a 2-0 defeat to VPS, meaning they have failed to win any of their previous three matches.
Having taken just one point from a possible nine since their last victory, Inter Turku will be eager to turn the tide.
It is fair to say that Inter Turku have struggled for consistency throughout the campaign, recording five wins, three draws and five losses in the league.
That said, Inter Turku have enjoyed plenty of success on home soil of late, losing only one of their six home league games in 2023.
As for KuPS Kuopio, they suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat to VPS last weekend, with Ibrahim Cisse seeing red inside the first minute of the match.
KuPS have experienced an inconsistent patch in recent weeks, recording three wins and four losses across their last seven league games.
Still, KuPS have remained consistent on their travels, winning five of their previous six away league outings while keeping four clean sheets.
It is also worth noting that KuPS have lost only one of their last eight away league games, so they will be confident of picking up a positive result on Monday.
Head-to-head: KuPS have won six of their previous seven meetings with Inter Turku across all competitions, scoring over 1.5 goals on four occasions.
In the league, KuPS have won eight of their last 11 matches against Inter Turku, keeping five clean sheets along the way.
Team news: Inter Turku striker Darren Smith has scored six goals in 13 league appearances this term, while Tommi Jyry has bagged three goals and five assists.
KuPS Kuopio’s danger man is Joona Veteli, who has chalked up five goals and two assists in 14 league outings this year.
Given the 13-point gulf between these two sides, high-flying KuPS look set to get the better of faltering Inter Turku.
Forebet predicts that Inter Turku and KuPS Kuopio will combine for over 2.5 goals, with the visitors outscoring the hosts.