Bolt Arena is the venue as HJK Helsinki and Viktoria Plzen go head-to-head in the first leg of their Champions League second qualifying round tie.
HJK Helsinki scored on either side of halftime in a comprehensive 3-1 home triumph over VPS last time out, ending an abysmal run of four winless Veikkausliiga matches (D2, L2). Sitting three points adrift of league-leaders KuPS, the ‘Klubi’ are still firmly in contention for defending their domestic crown. But more importantly, they are now on the lookout for a first successful attempt to reach the Champions League third qualifying round for the first time since 2015/16. Toni Koskela’s men squeezed past Latvian outfit RFS in the previous qualifying round, though they needed penalties to go through (1-0 H, 1-2 A). Unbeaten in their last three competitive home matches (W2, D1), they will feel confident about building a lead ahead of the return leg in the Czech Republic.
On the other hand, Viktoria Plzen are lagging behind HJK in terms of match fitness and competitive form as they head into proceedings having failed to win their last three pre-season friendlies (D2, L1). By contrast, Michal Bilek’s men have enjoyed a stellar competitive calendar year thus far, going unbeaten in all 16 matches across all competitions (W11, D5). Adding to Plzen’s confidence, they are undefeated in their last 11 competitive games on hostile turf (W6, D5), keeping five clean sheets in the process. Yet, a lack of firepower up top has seen them score under 1.5 goals in three of their last five competitive road trips.
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