The sporting world is holding its breath in anticipation of one of the most contrasting and, at the same time, crucial match of the Finnish Liiga season 2025/2026. The capital’s HIFK and the unstoppable league leaders Tappara Tampere will face off on the ice at Helsingin jäähalli.
| Tournament | Finnish Hockey League |
| Date | December 10, 2025 |
| Time (UTC) | 16:30 |
| Arena | Helsingin jäähalli, Helsinki |
At these coordinates, two irreconcilable rivals will clash, whose current positions in the standings make this competition a David and Goliath duel. Get ready for an attractive prediction and odds and a battle where one club’s statistics look like a death sentence for the other.
Statistics of previous matches. Head to head
This is not just hockey; it is a clash of two worlds. In key positions, Tappara Tampere features goalkeeper Kristian Heljanen (number 30), one of the league leaders in save percentage. Daniel Brickley (6) stands out on defense, demonstrating high productivity. The main striking force in the attack is made up of forwards Eetu Tuulola (82), known for his goal-scoring ability, as well as the experienced Juuso Ikonen (41) and Henrik Haapala (25).
HIFK’s key lineups player in goal is Hugo Alnefelt (number 60). Illari Kiipanen (39) and Niklas Neskiri (4) stand out on defense, providing reliability at the back. Among the forwards, Petr Kodáč (77) and Sean Josling (27) are the team’s main offensive force and scorers.
The history of head-to-head games between HIFK and Tappara has always been unpredictable, with both teams fighting evenly:
| Date | Hosts | Score | Visitors |
| 31.10.2025 | Tappara Tampere | 4:1 | HIFK Helsinki |
| 01.02.2025 | HIFK Helsinki | 3:2 | Tappara Tampere |
| 12.12.2024 | Tappara Tampere | 3:3 | HIFK Helsinki |
| 30.11.2024 | HIFK Helsinki | 4:2 | Tappara Tampere |
| 20.09.2024 | Tappara Tampere | 1:4 | HIFK Helsinki |
| 17.02.2024 | Tappara Tampere | 4:3 | HIFK Helsinki |
As can be seen from the results, the teams regularly exchanged the win, which adds significance to their future meetings.
NHL 25/26 standings
Liiga standings show how big Tappara’s advantage is over all their pursuers, and especially over their current rival:
| Teams | P | W | D | L | Goals | Points |
| 1. Tappara | 26 | 17 | 0 | 9 | 89:58:00 | 51 |
| 2. Assat Pori | 26 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 82:56:00 | 51 |
| 3. JYP Jyväskylä | 23 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 91:09:00 | 46 |
| 4. SaiPa Lappeenranta | 27 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 90:14:00 | 44 |
| 5. KooKoo | 25 | 16 | 0 | 9 | 91:12:00 | 44 |
| … | … | … | … | … | … | … |
| 15. HIFK Helsinki | 27 | 9 | 0 | 18 | 51:32:00 | 27 |
Tappara leads with 51 points and a goal difference of +31, while HIFK is in 15th place with 27 points, trailing the leader by exactly 24 points.
Predictions and betting odds
The cold stats and tournament standings dictate their own terms, turning the betting market into a field for speculation: low odds on the leader reflect the gap between the teams, but leave room for a risky bet with high rewards.
| Type of betting | Odds (Example) | Prediction and reasoning |
| Tappara win (Away Win / P2) | 1.60 | The clear favorite, as evidenced by their 24-point lead and +31 goal difference. |
| HIFK – winner (Home Win / P1) | 4.00 | High risk due to their 15th place ranking and critical -42 goal difference. |
| Tappara Handicap (-1.5) | 2.10 | Recommended betting options : Tappara (1st place) should beat HIFK (15th place) by a margin of two or more goals. |
| Total Over (O 5.5) | 1.85 | The leader’s attack and the underdog’s weak defense suggest a high-scoring game. |
Considering that Tappara is the best team in the league both in the majority and in the minority, making a prediction their victory with a handicap is the most logical way to maximize profits with such an obvious statistical advantage.
Key tips: to place a bet, you need to:
- choose legal bookmakers and complete a simple registration process;
- after replenishing your account, you should find the match “HIFK vs. Tappara” in the “Hockey/Liiga” section;
- then select the desired bet type (for example, win, total, or handicap) and click on the corresponding odds.
Enter the bet amount in the coupon that appears and confirm your prediction.