FC Lahti v KPV Kokkola - Veikkausliiga
FC Lahti and KPV Kokkola will clash this Sunday at Lahden Stadion in Lahti, for their 26th fixture of the season. It will mark the third h2h fixture between the two sides in 2019, yet it will be a clash in the relegation group.
Aggressive Lahti suffering in the back
Lahti are entering this fixture win a run of three consecutive matches without a defeat, during which they have impressed with their scoring. Prior to last week's fixture against HIFK (2:2), Lahti were on a two-game winning streak, during which they defeated Rovaniemi (3:0) and VPS (2:1). Nonetheless, a draw against HIFK that followed was not all bad, considering Lahti looked very solid in the offence.
Looking back at their Saturday's fixture, Lahti made HIFK's defence struggle with their aggressive approach, which proved to be a double-edged sword. Lahti used their chances very well, as they took advantage of shaky HIFK defence, but as mentioned, their strategy came with a great cost. With fast counterattacks, HIFK got their chance to shine, which against Lahti's defence was not too hard to do. Two goals came in 49th and 70th minute and HIFK managed to turn the losing match into their favour (2:1) with 20 minutes to go. That being said, their enthusiasm did not last long, seeing how HIFK conceded a goal in 72nd minute at the hands of Amione, who levelled the match at 2:2, which was also the final score.
KPV Kokkola avoiding direct relegation
Seeing how VPS lost their second match in a row, against Rovaniemi, KPV have more or less avoided a direct relegation, yet they still have a lot of work to do before they can take a breather.
Looking back at KPV's results, they have managed to turn their dismissal run of 1-0-5 into two consecutive wins, which they earned against Rovaniemi (4:1) in round 24 and a 2:0 away win against SJK last week. That being said, KPV did not have smooth sailing against SJK, who with their high pressure made Jarmo Korhonen's men struggle in the opening 15 minutes. But the home side soon ran out of steam and once their pressure has winded down, it was KPV's time to shine.
KPV took over the rhythm of the match and ran over SJK with two goals in quick succession in 24th and 33rd minute. It's also worth mentioning KPV missed a penalty in 41st minute and should they take their chances slightly better, we could imagine seeing KPV scoring at least one more in the second half.
Prediction
The mood in KPV's camp is visibly positive, which we expect to translate into a confident approach to their clash with Lahti this Sunday. And to be fair, they have all the right to be positive, seeing how good the team looked like in their previous two fixtures. One thing we are still unsure about, however, is the strength of their defence. We have seen KPV struggle in the back before they started their run of two consecutive wins, and while it may seem like the team has improved in that aspect, we have to acknowledge their defence was not exactly challenged against Rovaniemi and SJK. That, however, will change once they face Lahti, who have scored seven goals in their last three fixtures.
From what we have seen both sides can be deadly in the attack, but seem to be prone to mistakes in the back, which leads us to believe this will be a high scoring affair.
Prediction: Over 2.50 Goals
Odds: 2.13 Pinnacle
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