Friends,

I am not going to back any of these at least as there is some information missing and the cup games have proved to be unpredictable this season in Finland. Yesterday the big favourite FC Lahti were cruising into an easy and big victory until their keeper got himself sent out at first possile occasion and it can see speculated why on earth he did that?

A few words of these all, in general the odds are in line with local bookie, except HIFK who would look like value with this price, but they can not be touched.

Inter v HJK

Top-6 league teams clash. A few weeks ago HJK would had a bigger favourite than this, but they did fire midfielder Jair and there is so long list of absentees due long and short term injuries that it is starting to show, and they are doing some new signings which was not their plan as the squad is big.

Inter will lose their top striker Källman after this as he follows their ex-coach to South Africa, for sure he does want have a good game and not to injure himself ahead of a new adventure. Or perhaps he is not playing at all? Inter have not been specially good either this season and now they need to find a goal-scoring striker.

HJK list of absentees is somewhere around 10. Quantity-wise they could handle this, but as team performances have been weak they have lost the midfield balance.

1-1

******

PK-35 v HIFK

it is a derby between two suffering teams, and HIFK I have discussed recently and nothing has changed. They are very probably declared bakrupcy next week.

PK-35 have half a dozen ex-HIFK players and also other way around, and the only reason not to go against HIFK also this time is that PK-35 have been a huge disappointment this season and they miss Olmes, who could be the X-factor of the team. HIFK won their first match of the season last time away at Ilves. I am afraid it says more about Ilves than anything else, the team is poor and only their good defense keeps them somehow in games, and keeper Beto.

0-1

***

Haka v KuPS

There will be big in KuPS squad during the transfer window, but currently they are the top candidate for the title. That may change depending on the signings go, and there also is hugely important league match away at HJK on Saturday, and that is the main reason I am not so interested in this cup round. KuPS already signed Filip Valencic, who has been the best attacking player in Veikkausliiga at a couple of seasons.

0-1

But! A reminder, these are background info only in case you want to study these further. I am not touching them this round.