KTP take on the visitors Haka in the round 8 match of Veikkausliiga. The match will be played on Friday, May 23rd at Arto Tolsa Areena (Kotka).
KTP have become known for bouncing between divisions. Since 2020, they haven’t stayed in the same tier for more than a single season. After finishing 12th two seasons ago, they were relegated again to Ykkönen. On the bright side, they bounced back by winning the second division title last autumn — their second time doing so in recent years. Now, they’re trying to break this cycle, but it’s proving difficult. Most matches have ended in defeat, often by large margins. Still, they held VPS to a draw at home and managed a surprising 3-2 win away against Jaro. However, they lost heavily to other opponents, including a 1-4 defeat to HJK in the last round.
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Haka continue to deliver underwhelming performances. The black and whites are a historically successful club with several championship titles and domestic cups. However, they haven’t lifted any silverware in over 20 years and even spent time in the second tier. In 2023, they made their debut in the Conference League but were knocked out immediately by Crusaders of Northern Ireland. In the Finnish league, they earned just 35 points last season, finishing 5th in the regular season and eventually slipping to 6th in the championship group. Still, they won the European play-off semifinals in extra time against Inter Turku and Gnistan, only to lose the final to SJK — ironically on an extra-time goal. In the previous round, they faced the league leaders KuPS, and as expected, suffered a clear 1-3 defeat. That result left them near the bottom of the table.
Haka’s 3-1 win in the January cup match marked their sixth straight victory over KTP in official competitions. The visitors are favored, but it's hard to argue they’re clearly superior right now. A draw or narrow home result looks plausible — back KTP on a double chance not to lose at home.
Prediction for the match: KTP not to lose (X2).
