The two teams sit in mid table following somewhat disappointing performances this term, so we can safely say that both sides will be going for a win. Honka are hoping to return to winning ways after sharing spoils with VPS, whereas Jaro are looking to do the same having gone three games without a win.

Honka yet to hit the ground running

Honka finished last league campaign in 4th place, 11 points behind champions Helsinki and it is now clear that they will again miss out on the title race. However, the team led by talented Mika Lehkosuo have got a lot of quality within the squad and have already shown some potential, so there is no doubt they will soon come good. The arrival of striker Dudu has significantly improved the attacking department, so no wonder the team scored in six of their last seven games, but the inexperienced back line continues to be the problem. The departure of Hakanpaa, Paatelainen, Weckstrom and Kokko left a big gap to fill and that has so far been the biggest problem. After taking just 12 points from first 9 games, Honka will be looking to improve their league position with a win over struggling Jaro, so we can expect very attack minded hosts.

Young striker Tim Vayrynen could start alongside Dudu in attack after coming from the bench to score the equalizer against VPS.

Jaro in problems

As soon as this season started everyone could see that Jaro wouldn’t be able to repeat the fifth-place finish from last season. The club have made some strange moves in the transfer window as they stayed without the entire creative department, having sold Aleksei Eremenko jr, Evgeni Novikov and Ymer Xhaferi. Once again, the club have brought several unproven foreigners, so it is little wonder that the team have yet to properly gel. Having taken just 8 points from 9 league games, Jaro sit very close to the bottom of the standings, with the players very low on confidence after taking just one point from last three games. Nonetheless, Jaro remain an attack-minded side and I have no doubts they will try to beat inconsistent Honka, meaning that we should see a very open game.

With no fresh injury worries, coach Aleksei Eremenko should field the same side that started the JJK game.

Verdict

Both sides are punching below their weight and they will be looking to kick-start their season with a win in this match. Seeing that both Honka and Jaro are predominantly attack-minded teams, our advice is to bet on over 2.5 goals.

Our prediction: Over 2.5 goals

Odds: 1.80 (4/5)

Bookmaker: Victor Chandler