HJK hosts Neftchi Baku in the second leg of the Europa League qualification semifinals. The match will be played on Thursday, August 12th at Bolt Arena (Helsinki)
HJK suffered only one defeat in the current championship of Finland, which started back in the spring. It happened in the match against Oulu in the middle of last month. After a 1-0 victory over KTP last weekend, the capital club confidently leads the Veikkausliiga standings with 38 points after 15 matches. The closest opponent is already two dozen points behind. At the same time, HJK players look confident in European competitions. They eliminated Buducnost due to two wins with a total goal difference of 7-1. After that, the Finns fought with Malmo with dignity but scored one goal less than the opponent (1-2 in Sweden and 2-2 at home). The voyage to Baku turned out to be bright as well, and HJK gained a 2-2 draw. Let’s note that Roope Riski was good again. The striker, who scored against both opponents in the Champions League, again left his name on the scoreboard. Beyond that, he assisted Jair.
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Neftchi Baku is a living legend of Azerbaijani football. Moreover, last season the Oil Workers managed to finally win the champion’s title again, bypassing Qarabag, which has dominated in recent years. Among other things, the title allowed the club from Baku to return to the Champions League. The first opponent, Dinamo Tbilisi, was beaten in both matches with an identical score of 2-1. But then there was too experienced and well-equipped opponent, Olympiacos. Neftchi tried to fight with the Greeks, but they were able to win 1-0 both in Piraeus and in Baku, although the Greek championship has not started yet. The current opponent is perhaps weaker than Olympiacos, but definitely much stronger than Dinamo Tbilisi. So, the result of the first leg was not surprising: the teams took turns in the lead but tied 2-2.
HJK is still stronger, and Neftchi is traditionally weaker away than at home. We are waiting for the victory of the Finns in the return game on Thursday evening.
Prediction for the match: HJK to win
