- Finnish champions in strong form
- HJK won at Honka just 18 days ago
Honka v HJK
Thursday 29 September, 16:00
Another case of close but no cigar, as Corinthians got the win we wanted last night, but their 2-1 success over Atletico GO was only good enough for a push. We'll invest that money swiftly in Finland, because Honka (stop giggling at the back) are up against HJK Helsinki.
There's an element of déjà vu at work here, because HJK won 2-1 at Honka just 18 days ago, a victory that strengthened the capital club's position at the top of the table. The defending champions are five points clear of KuPS and 11 ahead of Honka. Toni Koskela's side have won eight of their last nine top-flight matches, and they haven't lost in the league since June.
Honka, based in the Finnish City of Espoo, finished a modest ninth in the league last term, but thy have been far more impressive this time around. They have the best goal difference in the division (+24 after 22 games), and they have won eight of their last 12 at Tapiolan Erheilupuisto. However, the wheels are creaking, with just one point collected from the last three games.
HJK have won three of the clubs' last four meetings, and they haven't lost to Honka since 2019, a run of seven games unbeaten. We can back the champions with a bit of insurance here by using the Draw No Bet market. We can back HJK at 1.9520/21, and if the game is drawn, we get our stake returned.