SJK v KPV - Veikkausliiga 2019 Betting Preview and Prediction
After a disappointing start of the season, KPV Kokkola sits at the bottom of the league with only 1 point, which they hope will change on April 30th when they face off against SJK.
SJK currently sit at 5th place in Veikkausliiga with a 2-2-1 record. They started off the season with 2 consecutive wins against HIFK (1:0) and Inter Turku (1:2), but slowed down with two draws against HJK (0:0) and VPS (1:1) and a defeat against Ilves (0:1) in the next 3 fixtures.
Looking back at SJK performance against VPS, they did not look too good. The main issue was the poorly organized midfield, which left huge gaps that could easily be exploited by the opposition. Even with the help of centre backs, SKJ problem was not fixed, as this only created yet another hole in the backline. All in all, a disastrous defensive performance from SJK, who did end up with a point solely due to the fact their opponents failed to utilize SJK mistakes better.
KPV on the other side could not have started the season in a worse way. Well, they could have lost all of their opening 4 matches instead of "only" 3. The only team which KPV managed to take points from was VPS on April 20th (2:2), sadly the same cannot be said for the fixtures against Ilves (0:2), Rovaniemi (0:1) and most recently Mariehamn (0:4).
Looking back at their 0:4 defeat against Mariehamn, KPV played well, producing 9 goal attempts and 5 shots on goal. Sadly none of their shots found the target against Mariehamn who filled KPV goal with 4 goals by the end of 90 minutes. There was also a questionable penalty given to Mariehamn which got them into the lead. Nonetheless, KPV still lost in the end.
KPV does not look too good on the paper, but they do not play terribly. As mentioned, they had some proper chances against Mariehamn, however, they were unlucky seeing none of their chances converted into a goal. While they did lose, KPV fought till the end and we can only guess what would happen if the 22nd-minute penalty would not be given to Mariehamn.
As for the upcoming match, SJK are reasonably the favorites to win, however, I am not too convinced with their performances recently. As we have mentioned before, SJK played disastrous football against VPS, where they should've lost. While they have got good players, they looked very lost on the field, which if it happens again against KPV could spell out trouble.
All in all, the home side are understandably the favorites to win, however, I would not be surprised if this one ends in a draw. Bear in mind, KPV and SJK played a 1:1 draw barely a week ago at the same pitch, and with not a lot that has changed since then, this one could just as well end with teams each taking home 1 point.
Prediction: KPV +1.00 Asian Handicap