The two teams are archrivals: the current Finnish champions, KuPS, currently in third place, and a solid mid-table team, Ilves, who traditionally have a particularly strong record against the leaders. KuPS plays a cautious game—six draws in 13 matches—and often wins by the narrowest of margins. However, in head-to-head encounters in recent years, Ilves has had a clear advantage: seven wins in the last ten matches, including four of five on KuPS's home field.
At the same time, both teams have a clear tendency to score in such encounters. In five of the last seven head-to-head matches, the teams have traded goals. This is especially evident in Ilves' away games: in 83% of his league away matches, both teams have scored. KuPS's record is slightly lower, but still high—69% of matches this season have seen both sides score. Furthermore, Ilves has scored 11 goals in his last three matches, indicating excellent attacking form.
Given their head-to-head record, the visitors' current attacking form, and their respective goal tallies, a clean sheet is unlikely for the hosts. Ilves will almost certainly respond to KuPS's goals, as he has done many times before.
