AC Oulu vs HJK Helsinki Prediction 31.05.2024

• Competition: Finland - Veikkausliiga
• Date: Friday, 31st, May 2024
• Kickoff: 18:00 UTC +1 / 19.00 CEST
• Venue: Raatin stadion (Oulu)

HJK Helsinki will make the trip to face the struggling AC Oulu on Friday, seeking a victory that would catapult them to the top spots in the Finnish Veikkausliiga.

AC Oulu vs HJK Helsinki Betting Tips: HJK TO WIN

AC Oulu's quest for an inaugural win in this season's Veikkausliiga 2024 campaign extended to an incredible eight games after they came away empty-handed at Haka in a seven-goal thriller last time out.

While pondering what could have been if their leading scorer Ashley Coffe had been accurate from the penalty spot in the 90th minute, the scoreboard reveals that Laivastonsiniset ultimately had to accept their fourth loss of the term and third in the last five outings.

With a dismal haul of just four points from their opening eight top-tier fixtures, all as a result of four drawn outcomes, Rauno Ojane's men find themselves second-from-bottom and already hunches that a bottom-six finish will be inevitable, just as this has been the case in each of their last three seasons since being promoted in 2021.

If they haven't managed to come out on the winning side thus far, it's unlikely to happen on Friday as the arrival of the country's record champions brings little joy, especially considering they haven't been able to topple them in four consecutive H2H encounters and suffered a heavy 1-3 defeat the last time HJK visited Raatin stadion.

The 33-time champions of the "Land of a Thousand Lakes" have featured in Veikkausliiga action more frequently than any other side since the season began, with their ten top-tier outings yielding a respectable record of four wins and an equal number of draws, along with two losses, which currently sees HJK occupying the penultimate (fifth) spot in the blue zone.

In order to reignite their bid for a fourth consecutive crown in the Finnish top division, the Helsinki giants will need to urgently reclaim their killer instinct in front of goal, as their current tally of 15 goals scored leaves much to be desired, with one of their weaker offensive displays evident last Saturday when they barely salvaged a point in a 1-1 draw against Ilves.

With Friday's action marking the end of their first-half league campaign and trailing three points behind table-toppers KuPS with a game more, the club realizes that further dropped points could be detrimental to their title pursuit and will strive to significantly reduce slip-ups in the upcoming period. In light of that, HJK Helsinki will look to capitalize on AC Oulu's state of agony to get back on track with a sure win, drawing motivation from theri last season's 3-1 dismantling of the Navy Blues at this venue.