The 81st edition of the Norwegian Eliteserien (formerly Tippeligaen) is ongoing and heading to matchday 10 with some very interesting fixtures to look out for. Notably, we have the top of the table shock between Frederikstad FK and Rosenbord (fourth and third, respectively. Not forgetting the clash between the current league leaders, Viking, and last season’s champions FK Bodø/Glimt, currently sixth with 4 games at hand (they can go joint-top if they win all 4). However, for my next prediction, I’m more interested in the encounter between Bryne FK vs Sandefjord, as it offers better betting opportunities. But as usual, before picking any side, let’s have an overview of the standing of both teams.
Bryne FK – The Hosts
Currently ranked 11th, Bryne FK has been battling with inconsistencies since the start of the season. They’ve won 3 and lost 5 of their last 8 matches, scoring 12 goals and conceding 16. Twenty-three-year-old Portuguese attacker Duarte Moreira is currently the top contributor with 4 goals and is one of the key players coach Kevin Knappen will be counting on against Sandefjord on Sunday.
Bryne FK are coming to this game in high spirits after they won a top-of-the-table Fredrikstad 4-3 at home. Duarte Moreira scored the opener just 1 minute into the game and equally provided an assist. The other goals were scored by Brage Skaret (O.G.) and Nicklas Strunck.
Bryne FK has the third-poorest defensive line in the entire league. Only bottom-placed Haugesund and Hamarkameratene (13th) have conceded more goals so far. Although Sandefjord isn’t among the best attacking sides, they need to put in place good tactics to frustrate Stefan Sigurðarson’s goal-scoring attempts, otherwise, the 24-year-old striker will find spaces and punish them.
Sandefjord – Aiming for Europe
The chase for a qualificative spot for European competitions is already on for Sandefjord. They’re currently 5th and could go 3rd if they win with a considerable margin while their rivals lose. Andreas Tegström has won 5 and lost 3 of his 8 matches of the season. His squad has scored 14 goals and conceded 12, giving us a +2-goal difference (the worst of the top 5 teams).
Just like their opponents in the upcoming fixture, Sandefjord have been very inconsistent in the first half of the Eliteserien season, failing to put up two consecutive wins in their last five games in all competitions. However, they also won their last fixture coming into this game. That was at home against Strømsgodset FK, and the score was 3-2.
Sandefjord has the third-best attack in the league, with 14 goals scored. Impressively, they’ve scored in all their games so far in all competitions and are averaging 2.25 goals in their last four encounters. A very positive statistic and proof of the fact that they are genuinely aiming for a place in European competition next season.
The Head-to-Head Record and Prediction
They’ve faced each other 16 times, with Bryne FK having the upper hand as they won 12 of these matches. Sandefjord won 2 and 2 ended in draws. Below is a table showing the last 5 H2H results.
| Date | Competition | Fixture | Score |
| 23.10.2016 | Eliteserien | Sandefjord vs Bryne FK | 1-0 |
| 19.06.2016 | Eliteserien | Bryne FK vs Sandefjord | 0-2 |
| 08.08.2014 | Eliteserien | Sandefjord vs Bryne FK | 5-0 |
| 01.05.2014 | Eliteserien | Bryne FK vs Sandefjord | 1-3 |
| 26.08.2013 | Eliteserien | Sandefjord vs Bryne FK | 2-0 |
Although it’s through that H2H stats often have some impact on games, this time, I’m backing the visitors to win @2.68. They have a better squad and a better goal-scoring front line than their adversaries. Plus, in recent years, they’ve always won Bryne FK, as seen on the table above. Sign up on Game2Bet to follow this betting prediction and for high odds.
