The preseason is moving into a new phase as Åland United plays its first match in the Nationella Cup. The first round presents a tough away game against HPS tomorrow, before the return match at WHA on March 1. A familiar opponent that always offers challenges and intense matches.
For Åland United, this will be the first competitive fixture of the year – an important opportunity to test their play on the road to the league opener on April 26, which will also be against HPS. After weeks of training and two friendly matches in Sweden, the team is now looking forward to fighting for a place in the next round of the cup.
"Even though tomorrow marks our first competitive match, it is still preseason, and we approach HPS with that balance in mind. The biggest gain for us in advancing to the semifinals would be the opportunity to play two strong matches in March, and that is what we are aiming for. But it won’t be an easy task, as HPS is a strong team that won bronze last season. It will be very interesting to see how we measure up against Finnish league opposition, having so far only played friendlies against Swedish teams." says head coach Daniel Norrmén.
The match against HPS will be an important benchmark to see where the team stands right now – both individually and as a unit. The return match will be played on March 1 at WHA, where Åland United hopes to secure a place in the semifinals.
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