FC Haka v IFK Mariehamn

Haka vs Mariehamn Preview

Haka suffered a second defeat in three games on Friday in the Finnish top flight when they were handed a heavy 3-1 loss away from home at Inter Turku which followed a previous heavy loss on the road at Ilves in a 5-0 thrashing but the hosts now return to more familiar surroundings of their Tehtaan kenttä to take on Mariehamn who are just one league position and two points behind Haka ahead of this upcoming clash.

Despite these two losses though, Haka have produced some encouraging results in the Finnish Veikkausliiga as the hosts have collected four wins within their last eight games overall, picking up important wins against EIF, Gnistan, SJK and Oulu, three of which were achieved on home soil at their Tehtaan kenttä ground.

The bigger picture shows Haka have been dealt just four defeats within their last 20 games overall in the domestic top flight, only one of which was inflicted upon Andrew Smith's side at home while the other three defeats were all incurred on their travels.

Indeed, Haka have lost just once in their last 19 home games overall in the Veikkausliiga along with recording seven wins and being involved in 11 draws as well.

Mariehamn have produced an inconsistent start to this Veikkausliiga campaign as the visitors have won, drawn and lost in equal measure with three wins, three stalemates but also three defeats so they sit in a mid-table position of seventh place in the Finnish top flight table.

Two of Mariehamn's three wins so far this season have been registered on home soil at their Wiklöf Holding Arena with victories gained over EIF and Inter Turku while two of the visitors' three defeats so far in this season's campaign were handed out to Bruno Romao's side on their travels with defeats at HJK and Lahti, so this upcoming trip to take on Haka may just be a tricky outing for the visitors.

The bigger picture also shows Mariehamn have managed to capture just five wins from their last 20 matches overall in the Finnish top flight so the visitors look far from a guaranteed three points here on Friday afternoon.

League wins in the Veikkausliiga away from home have also been hard to come by for Mariehamn as the visitors have collected just two wins out of their last 10 outings on the road which came in the form of victories on the road at KTP and SJK but this sequence of results also include being dealt no fewer than six defeats in the process as well.

Haka v Mariehamn Verdict

Haka have won two of the last three meetings at home against Mariehamn and with solid form behind them on home soil, Friday's hosts look in good shape to add to their points tally with a win here.

Therefore, our main bet will be Haka win @ 1.80

Other side bets worth considering:

Haka win & Under 2.5 goals @ 4.75

Correct Score: Haka 2-0 @ 9.50