Nelonen this year is very different from what we have had in our two previous seasons in Vitonen and Kutonen. Now that teams have played five to eight matches, there are as many as five teams near the top with the same number of points dropped. All of VaKP, TamU-K, TP-49, FC Melody and LeKi-futis have dropped seven points (two ties and one loss each), and occupy spots 1 and 3-6 on the table. Add NePa into the mix, currently taking the second spot on the table with four wins, two ties and two losses, and you have a group of six teams where all of them are still in a great position to fight for promotion. Clearly, there is no need to underline the importance of Sunday’s match against TP-49.

Each team in this group of six have faced other teams in the group at least once, and the results have been mixed. For example, just after we had beaten NePa 1-0 and lost 1-3 away against VaKP, NePa went ahead and beat VaKP convincingly with a 6-2 scoreline. Simply put, at this point it is still impossible to say who will be the strongest team out of this lot when the season progresses, a huge contrasts to our previous seasons where the top three teams emerged really early. All of the six teams have also dropped points in surprising matches, underlining the unpredictable nature of this season. For example, TP-49 comes to Sunday’s match with low-scoring ties against SW and Ilves 2 in their previous matches.

Conventional wisdom says that the team that goes on a winning streak during the summer will get promoted. With how evenly matched Nelonen seems to be overall this year, it might drag out a little longer than usual this year, but regardless promotion might again be decided by the depth of the team as well the commitment level of the players. I would like to think that we are in a strong position in this regard.

As for today’s match, it looks like the biggest change will be in the defensive lineup, where Jouko Turunen seems to be out due to the injury that he suffered in the last match. Word is that Osku Airesto will take his spot, which will be his first appearance in the starting eleven this season. He has played as a late sub in four matches, but has only accumulated 45 minutes of playing time so far. However, I do feel pretty confident about him, based on the performances that his has given during those scrap minutes.

I also hear that we will see all of Jan Riikonen, Andrea Milanti, and Petri Vadén in the starting lineup, with the Italian taking the number 10 spot in the middle. A lot of supporters have been looking forward to seeing the creative trio on the field together. There has not been many matches where all of them were available and ready for 90 minutes, but I also think part of the reason we are seeing this is that certain midfielders were subbed out with injuries in the last match. Regardless, I’m very eager to see this experiment produce a few goals for us.

The match starts at 4 pm sharp on Sunday, of course at our home in Pyynikki Stadium. For out-of-town supporters there will be a stream at tamu-k.com/live, as usual. Hopefully the glitches that plagued our previous live stream have been fixed now.