HJK starts with excellent settings for the second part.
HJK claimed a handsome victory over Slovenia in the first part of the pair of matches. AOP
Töölö plays for big stakes on Thursday evening. HJK has a chance to secure their place in the conference league group stage.
If HJK advances from a pair of matches against Maribor from Slovenia, a place in the group stage of the Conference League guarantees it a pot of around three million euros. HJK will start their home match with excellent setups, as they beat Maribor 2-0 last week.
HJK would still play in the final qualifying stage of the Europa League if they reached the next round today. The Danish Silkeborg would meet.
Getting to the group stage of the Europa League would bring 3.6 million euros to the coffers.
If Maribor knocks down HJK and advances further in the Europa League qualifiers, HJK still has to play for access to the Conference League group stage. In the last round, the opponent would be Belarusian FC Shahtar Soligorsk or Romanian CFR Cluj.
“HJK closer to third”
In Slovenia, expectations for Maribor are not high. After four rounds played, the team is in last place in the league. There has been only one win.
Slovenske Novice -magazine’s advance headline states that HJK is closer to their third goal than Maribor to their first.
However, it is not a hyped match. HJK’s season in the Veikkausliiga has been fluctuating. Access to the Euro courts would give head coach Toni Koskela security in terms of his job.
HJK aims for European money games every season.
Slovenia was also surprised that there was no mention of HJK’s match in the Finnish media even on Tuesday.
– You can only see news about the upcoming European Athletics Championships, Emil Ruusuvuoren of victory Stanislas Wawrinka against and from the hockey U20 championships, editor Miha Šimnovec listed.
HJK–Maribor starts at 19:00.