Sarpsborg take on the visitors Rosenborg in the round 14 match of Norwegian Eliteserien. The match will be played on Friday, July 18th at Sarpsborg Stadion (Sarpsborg).
Sarpsborg 08 remain a fairly modest project by Norwegian football standards. After earning promotion to the Eliteserien, they stunned many in 2017 by finishing third and reaching the cup final in the same season. But they haven’t managed to replicate those achievements in either competition since. In fact, they’ve twice finished as low as 12th and haven’t placed higher than 8th in recent seasons. Their spring campaign this year was predictably average, with inconsistent form and a lack of attacking sharpness. However, they’ve shown signs of life recently: after a four-game winless run, they bounced back with back-to-back victories. One of those wins came impressively against reigning champions Bodø/Glimt, followed by a solid result over strugglers Haugesund. Last weekend, however, they were held to a goalless draw away at Kristiansund — a missed opportunity to build more momentum.
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Rosenborg are slipping due to a rough summer spell. The “Little Trolls” hold the national record for both league titles and cup wins. But since completing a domestic treble in 2018 — including the Superfinal — they haven’t added a single trophy to their collection. In fact, two seasons ago they dropped as low as 9th, so climbing back to 4th by last winter was seen as a sign of progress. There was hope that Alfred Johansson’s side would continue that upward trajectory. Instead, the summer has brought a series of setbacks — with home draws and away defeats becoming a frustrating pattern. It’s an ill-timed slump, considering their upcoming return to European competition. They did restore some confidence in their last match by beating HamKam 2-0, showing better structure and discipline.
Sarpsborg have gone unbeaten in seven consecutive meetings with Rosenborg. However, after four straight losses in the matchup, Rosenborg managed to fight back for two draws in their most recent encounters. This looks to be a fairly balanced matchup. Given recent results and both sides’ inconsistencies in front of goal, the best bet is under 3.0 total goals.
Prediction for the match: Under 3.0 scored goals.
