KuPS take on the visitors HJK in Finnish Veikkausliga match. The match will be played on Friday, June 27th at Vare Areena (Kuopio).
KuPS have been at the top of Finnish football before — their first league title dates back to the 1950s. Over the decades, they occasionally managed to return to the summit. In recent years, they made several serious attempts to win the title, finishing runners-up three times in a row between 2021 and 2023, each time behind different champions. But last season, KuPS finally triumphed, edging out Ilves by just a couple of points in a tight title race. This year, they started strong, holding onto the top spot until late spring. However, things have fallen apart dramatically since mid-May: the reigning champions suddenly stopped scoring regularly while conceding heavily, leading to a string of painful defeats. Their latest league game ended in a loss to Mariehamn, and their only recent win came in the cup against Haka. They have now won just one of their last six league matches, raising serious concerns about their title defense.
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HJK are determined to reclaim the throne.“The Club” is not just a historic giant, but also Finland’s most successful club domestically and in European competitions. After dominating the Veikkausliiga from 2020 to 2023, they suffered a surprising collapse last season. Although they were just one point behind KuPS after the regular season (43 vs. 44), everything unraveled in the championship round, and they even dropped below Ilves in the final standings. This season started painfully for HJK with three consecutive defeats, but since then they’ve been one of the hottest teams in the league. Only KuPS and Inter Turku managed to hold them to draws; HJK won every other game. They continued their impressive run with a 3-1 win over Haka in the most recent round. Now unbeaten in their last eight league matches, HJK looks fully focused on reclaiming the title.
The teams exchanged home wins in four recent matches. Their latest encounter ended in a goalless draw in Helsinki earlier this spring. The reigning champions are struggling with form, and this is the perfect opportunity for the visitors to strike. HJK is clearly motivated to climb back to the top, and we believe they will take all three points from this crucial clash against a direct rival.
Prediction for the match: HJK to win.
