RoPS vs FC Lahti
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Today’s free tip is in the Finnish Veikkausliiga encounter between RoPS and FC Lahti. Bear in mind that this match is a slightly earlier kick-off than usual in Finland as it’s at 16:00 instead of 16:30.
Although I like that RoPS are sort of bouncing back at the moment, I do feel it’s going to be too little, too late. Their financial problems have crippled them this season. They’ve not been able to recruit as well as usual, which led to a lot of last-minute loan signings (mostly from HJK) as well as risky signings like Kuate, who has amazing talent for this level but not the attitude, which is why he was ultimately cut loose before kicking a competitive ball for RoPS during his second stint in northern Finland. The financial problems were even more damaging because both of their main forwards, Rahimi and Kokko, had long-term injury problems. They’re both back now, but are RoPS really going to make up a ten point deficit on Haka Valkeakoski? That’s assuming TPS don’t pick up points too, and that Haka Valkeakoski – who have another level or two to go to yet – don’t pick up any points. It seems unlikely.
Still, I hope that they do it, as RoPS are ‘my team’ in Finland, if you like. The relatively new Veikkausliiga format does play into their hands somewhat as the league divides into two groups in a few rounds from now, meaning that all of RoPS’ remaining games after that will come against bottom six teams. There’s nobody in that bottom six that they can’t beat, given the right application and luck, so it’d be daft to give up. This is a mountain for RoPS to climb though, and there’s no getting around that.
So – what do RoPS have to offer? Well, not a lot, to be frank. I respect Kokko for the excellent poacher he is, especially with legs like Rahimi alongside him. I know Malolo is capable of being a very good player once every few months but other than that, this team is a bit limited. Georgian defender Tsiskaridze is the best they’ve got, and he’s barely been at his best this season because of injuries. They’ve set their stall out to not play veteran midfielder Muinonen too, which seems rash to me – he still has something to offer this team.
I mean, the HJK loanees that RoPS have brought in are good but they are just kids. Banza has done a job in the Veikkausliiga before, and his pace will always make him a threat. HJK’s lads are still learning their craft though, and who they’re supposed to learn from in this squad is largely beyond me, given the changes that have been made, and are still being made. As is always the case, I never have any reason to doubt that RoPS will give 100% in this match. However, I find it hard to envision them being good enough to outscore FC Lahti today; that’s the crux of the matter here.
Admittedly, FC Lahti have irked me more than most Finnish teams over the past month or two, largely because they’ve gone back to being horribly inconsistent. This is easily the best squad they’ve had in years and yet they can still barely string two or three consecutive good displays together. I’ve seen this team do enough to stifle HJK in their own backyard, but this team has also shipped far too many goals away from home against poorer teams. During that period, there have been times where key players have been out (e.g. Coubronne through injury, Imbongo through suspension) but there’s still no excuse for the randomness of FC Lahti, really, a team that should be comfortable in a top six slot by now.
The Veikkausliiga divides soon, as I mention earlier, and that means that FC Lahti have just three games after this one in which to prove that they’re not crap. One of those games is in Espoo so it’s imperative that they win their other three, really. They’re very winnable fixtures, too – it just involves FC Lahti doing what is expected of them for a change. On paper, this squad is twice that of their hosts; that’s the reality here. Whether they make that into a positive result or not depends entirely upon them.
Prior to the international break, they did alright, for the most part. They were utterly depressing against Inter Turku, and should have lost more convincingly, although presumably they – like I – thought that Riveiro would stick with his new approach of fielding Valencic, Furuholm, and Kallman at the same time, which he didn’t, reverting back to the more familiar setup. That suits Inter Turku more, and it showed on the day as they humbled FC Lahti, and to be honest, it should have been a more convincing scoreline as FC Lahti were never really in that game. I thought they showed a lot of balls and a good level of organisation during their impressive win in Seinajoki against SJK, and they showed great mental strength to come from behind to beat islanders IFK Mariehamn 3-1. If they play like that in Rovaniemi today, they’ll win – it’s that simple.
Essentially, this game will entirely as FC Lahti want it to. If they put the leg work in, then Assehnoun, Hambo etc. will guarantee the win. However, if they adopt their lazier approach – seen far too often this season – then they’ll never beat battling RoPS. It may be prudent to wait and see the first ten minutes of this fixture to see which FC Lahti has shown up before placing your bet. Sat here twenty-four hours before kick-off though, writing this preview, I have to view the away win as being worth taking at 4/5.
Verdict: FC Lahti to win at 4/5.
Thursday’s Thoughts
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts. For confidence ratings, you’ll need to go to the members section here.
Brazilian Serie A:
Vasco da Gama vs Fortaleza
Flamengo vs RB Bragantino
German DFB Pokal:
Duren Merzenich vs Bayern Munich
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
RoPS vs FC Lahti
FC Honka Espoo vs IFK Mariehamn
Inter Turku vs KuPS
HIFK vs Ilves
SJK vs HJK
Enjoy your free betting tips!