5 bold predictions for 2020

Will 2020 be KPL’s year?
With the season just around the corner, it is worth thinking about who will be winners and who will be losers for the season - which teams do I think will do well and which teams are less likely to do well. Here are my 5 bold predictions for 2020; predictions on what may happen in the season, but are not necessarily the safest bets.

Manse PP will finish in the top 8
Manse PP had great energy on the field in 2019 and blitzed the competition in Ykköspesis- losing only one game in the whole season. In the Halli-SM group games they beat Hyvinkään Tahko and kept a tight game against KPL. With Matti Iivarinen as game manager and the signing of Championship winner Juha Niemi, 2020 is likely to be a big year for Manse. There is a lot of buzz around Manse PP and they will be pushing, not only to secure their place in Superpesis for the long term, but for something bigger! Manse PP could reach the top 8 and earn a playoff spot this year. The bottom half of the table in 2019 formed a tight pack with very few points between them until the very end. If 2020 throws up similar results Manse PP could reach the playoffs.

Pattijoen Urheilijat will finish in the top 4
2019 was very much a season of 2 halves for PattU; the first half of the season was underwhelming and PattU really struggled to stay in the hunt for a top 4 finish. Gaining a place in the top 4 earns the team home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs and can be a big boost for the team. The second half of 2019 was very different and PattU became one of the most consistent and successful teams; however they had to settle for 7th place. Since the end of the 2019 season, PattU have had some big signings for 2020, including the return of Sami Haapakoski (who won the championship with PattU in 2008). In the Halli-SM group games PattU showed a lot of energy and passion, beating Sotkamon Jymy to earn a spot in the finals. PattU have a lot going for them in 2020 and it will be exciting to see them play - a top 4 spot beckons and the team are definitely capable of meeting that challenge!

Kempeleen Kiri will finish bottom of the table
Kempele finished 2019 disappointingly and had drama off the field with their game manager. KeKi signed Jussi Korhonen from Sotkamo for 2020, but besides that, the team looks light on key players. KeKi’s Halli-SM group games were not much to write home about and PattU easily took them apart. Kempele have an even greater struggle given the fact that they have had to part with their game manager and the fact they will face Sotkamo and PattU in their “group” as part of the 2020 format. KeKi will breath a sigh of relief when autumn rolls around, safe in the knowledge that they will not be relegated from Superpesis due to the impact Coronavirus has had on the season.

Sotkamon Jymy will not finish in the top 4 in the regular season, but will make it to the semi-finals
Sotkamo are always in the hunt for a championship and they have a vast pool of players that they can draw on, but 2019 showed some difficulties for the team and the results may fall differently in 2020. Sotkamo finished the regular season in 2nd behind Vimpeli, but had almost half of their wins (12 of 26) came from games where they didn’t win both jakso. This was a significant vulnerability for the team in 2019, but Sotkamo were kings of the supervuoro or kotiutuskilpailu win. In 2020 their luck may just slip and we may see Sotkamo slide outside of the top 4 in the regular season. Having said that Sotkamo were ruthless in the 2019 postseason and I expect that they would be just as dominant in 2020 when autumn comes. In addition, if Sotkamo do finish outside of the top 4, they will be the one team people will choose to avoid which will give them a psychological advantage in the shortened series.

KPL will win the championship
There are only a few teams who look like they could topple the reigning champions Joensuun Maila, KPL is one of them. Despite not having won a championship since 1976, KPL are one of the most accomplished teams in recent years. In 2019 KPL were knocked out of the playoffs by Sotkamon Jymy, but won bronze by defeating league leaders Vimpeli. In the off-season KPL pulled out all the stops and have signed some legends of the game, namely Toni Kohonen, Antti Hartikainen and Jere Dahlström. Their lineup is so stacked with big names it almost looks like an East v West (all star) team! So at the risk of sounding too optimistic about their chances, I think 2020 will be KPL’s year to take home the gold.

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