Betting Tips
On Wednesday, the opening leg of HJK Helsinki’s match against Larne in UEFA Champions League qualifying will take place at the Bolt Arena.
The hosts’ victory in the Finnish Veikkausliiga earned them a spot in the qualifying rounds. Larne won the Northern Irish Premiership and qualified.
HJK Helsinki vs Larne
HJK enters the contest after losing 1-0 to Lahti at home in a league match on Saturday. The visitors were able to earn all three points thanks to a goal from Altin Zeqiri in the 33rd minute.
The past three games for HJK have ended in losses. They unexpectedly fell to Lahti 1-0 at home in the previous game. Even though HJK enjoyed 60% ball possession and 14 shots on goal against the heavily favored home team, it lost.
In the Northern Irish Charity Shield opener against Crusaders, Larne suffered a 2-0 loss. The goals from Jarlath O’Rouke and James Tillan allowed Belfast to keep the Charity Shield.
Last year, Larne won the title for the first time in Northern Ireland. They will have the opportunity to compete for a Champions League spot after an unexpected victory. Of course, Larne doesn’t have a lot of realistic chances. Nevertheless, they were outstanding during the preseason as Larne triumphed in five of six exhibition games. They defeated Ballyclare 4-0 in the prior game.
In order to advance to the second round of the qualifications, Larne will turn their focus to the continent, where HJK stand in their way. In the following round of qualifiers, the victor of this match will take on the reigning Danish champions, Copenhagen.
Verdict
HJK is the seeded team in this match and is the favorite to advance ahead of their less experienced competitors. The club Larne can aim for any heights after winning their first league championship last season. In 11 games, their impenetrable defense has kept seven clean sheets, which might be key to their chances of qualifying.
This season, HJK has not performed well at home and is now on a three-game winless streak. However, we are betting on the Finns to win by a slim margin and keep a clean sheet.
In their last 13 home games in the Champions League, HJK has only lost twice, including victories over teams like Malmo, Red Star Belgrade, Astana, and APOEL. In four of their last six home games in this tournament, they have scored two goals or more, and they kept a clean sheet against Rigas at this time last year.
With 16 league games under their belts, including four victories by scores of 0 to 1 in eight home games, they ought to have the know-how and ability to capitalize on Larne’s lack of competitive football for the past two months.
Tip: BTTS (NO) / Helsinki to win
BTTS – ✅
Helsinki to win – ✅
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Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
