Ilves and KuPS meet in the evening in Tammela.
Ilves and KuPS meet each other on Thursday. Mika Kylmäniemi / AOP
The most interesting game of the day
Although there are still five rounds left in the Veikkausliiga, tonight’s match between Ilves and KuPS can become a real watershed in the championship fight.
Before tonight’s match, Ilves is second in the table, one point behind KuPS. KuPS has a chance with a win to shake Ilves to within four points, and when the third-placed FC Inter is Axel Kouamén after the sale was a bit out of tune, today the people of Kuopio have a great opportunity to take a big step towards their second consecutive championship.
KuPS’s task is complicated today by the number one goalkeeper Johannes Kreidlin suspension. Substitute Good morning Hakala is not on par with Kreidl. Instead, those who were in Spain during the journey of the Little Huhkajits Otto Ruoppi and Samuli Miettinen are already part of the composition of KuPS.
KuPS plays in the group stage of the Conference League, but the next game is only in a week, and there is no need to count the team as a minus now. On the Veikkausliiga side, the mood of the people of Kuopio is strong/upward right now; the team has won its three previous games with a combined goal difference of 10–2. Ilves last lost to SJK 1-2 away from home, contrary to the events of the match, and before that it was at times in surprisingly big trouble as a guest of HJK (2-2).
The matches earlier in the season in the Veikkausliiga have been surprisingly dominated by Ilves. Ilves has beaten KuPS away 4–2 and 3–0, and also 3–0 at home at the beginning of the season.
Without Kreidl’s intervention, tonight’s match could easily be expected to be more even than previous matches. Now, despite KuPS’s good mood, Ilves should once again be a clear favorite, around 45%. In terms of betting, there is nothing to suggest about the winner (or handicaps). In terms of the number of goals, 1.64 of more than 2.75 goals have been offered from the mostly eligible players. My rating for that is 59.5%.
Ilves–KuPS starts at 18:00.
The best betting tip of the day
Thursday’s best bet search can be found in the NHL. Los Angeles’ early season has not lived up to expectations. The team has not yet won a single game time victory. However, it has not been in any particular problems or even as a winning side in its four opening games. The team’s goal expectation ratio is neutral at 49.9%. Los Angeles’ opponents so far have been tougher teams than next night’s Pittsburgh. Now I see a good chance for Los Angeles to grab the first real time win of the season at home. The coefficient 1.81 is valid for the receipt with an estimate of 57%.
Los Angeles–Pittsburgh starts at 5:00.
Among the odds of early bets, Chelsea’s 2.00 against Nottingham (to be played on Saturday) and Kärppi’s 1.97 against HPK (to be played on Friday) are still valid.
Games of the day: Los Angeles–Pittsburgh 1 (coefficient 1.81), Nottingham–Chelsea 2 (coefficient 2.00) and Kärpät–HPK 1 (coefficient 1.97).
Total balance of today’s games: 135/242/102%
Every day Iltalehti chooses the most interesting game of the day and the best game destination of the day. You can always find them in the Betting and Ravit section.