In our latest article focusing on Norwegian top flight game Fantasy Eliteserien we take in last weekend’s weather beaten first set of fixtures and look ahead to Gameweek 2’s encounters.
Lillestrøm – Sarpsborg
(Saturday, 2.30pm)
Lillestrøm got off to an awful start with a 1-3 loss away against Bodø/Glimt. Thomas Lehne Olsen was one of the standout players for Lillestrøm, and we back him to do well in this first home game of the season for his side.
There are reports suggesting Erling Knudtzon will start up front in this game, while Simen Kind Mikalsen looks assured of taking the left midfield slot. Both players could be worth a punt as they will be playing out of position. Aleksander Melgalvis is still the likely penalty taker and a good option at 5.5.
Sarpsborg couldn’t have had a better start after beating reigning champions Rosenborg 1-0 at home. Kristoffer Zachariassen was the name on everybody’s lips after the game with a standout performance and the goal, as well as hitting the woodwork.
This game is pretty hard to predict and could go either way. The weather forecast are showing bitterly cold temperatures in the morning in Lillestrøm the next few days (-15 degrees), so monitor this game as it could be called of. Lillestrøm are fairly confident it will go ahead.
Rosenborg – Kristiansund
(Saturday, 5.00pm)
After reigning champions Rosenborg’s shock Gameweek 1 loss they will be desperate to bounce back, with Niklas Bendtner and Pål Andre Helland the prime captaincy candidates.
Kristiansund lost 0-1 at home to Vålerenga and didn’t look particularly good. Benjamin Stokke slipped while taking a penalty, which resulted in the spot kick being ruled out and him getting injured. This hapless spot kicker looks unlikely to recover. Elsewhere among Kristiansand’s troops, Torgil Gjertsen looks the prime candidate.
We can’t look beyond a Rosenborg win here, with a clean sheet highly likely.
Brann – Bodø/Glimt
(Sunday, 5.00pm)
Sadly, Brann’s Gameweek 1 fixture was called off one hour before kick-off. Before this cancellation, the lineups came out and revealed that Gilli Rolantsson was on the team sheet at left winger. He signed a new contract this week and ended all transfer speculation, so it’s definitely worth monitoring him if he can nail down that left winger spot. Fredrik Haugen and Gilbert Koomson are prime transfer targets this week.
Newly promoted Bodø/Glimt got off to an excellent start with a 3-1 win against Lillestrøm. Kristian Fardal Opseth (who was interviewed by FFScout community writer Tacalabala last week) lived up to the hype with two goals. Ulrik Saltnes also got of to a good start with an assist, and had another assist chalked off after a further goal was controversially ruled out.
We’re backing Brann to win here, but if you own Fardal Opseth definitely play him.
Haugesund – Molde
(Sunday, 5.00pm)
Haugesund started with a surprise win away against Odd. We’re not sure what to make off this Haugesund team, but Christian Grindheim, Frederik Gytkjær, David Akintola and Alexander Stølås are all worth monitoring. Note that Stølås was moved down to left back.
Meanwhile, Molde got off to a fantastic start against Sandefjord, who have had a horrible preseason. It remains unclear whether this victory was due to Molde’s prowess or Sandefjord’s frailties. Fredrik Brustad and Thomas Amang were Molde’s main assets up front with a goal and an assist each, as well as bonus points. If Amang can keep his place he’s a real bargain. Eirik Hestad had a great game and topped his performance with his first goal in one and a half year. Etzaz Hussain, Chima Chukwu and Ruben Gabrielsen were nowhere to be seen in the starting XI, so if you own any of them you should definitely be looking to shift them.
This won’t be an easy game for Molde, but they will still be favorites. If you have any Molde assets, you should definitely play them.
Tromsø – Strømsgodset
(Sunday, 5.00pm)
Tromsø were outplayed in their debut fixture against Start. In fact they looked awful. Lasse Nilsen started on the left wing, then moved down to left wing-back as Tromsø shifted to three at the back half time. Last year’s top scoring defender Simen Wangberg disappointed his owners with a -1 score and showed that his 5.5 price tag is way too much for a Tromsø defender. Morten Gamst Pedersen had a quiet game, but showed his class minutes before the end by scoring a 35 meter screamer, thanks in part to an goalkeeping howler.
Strømsgodsets midfielders were one of the big let downs of the Gameweek, although Eirik Ulland Andersen came close to an assist. The big news this week is that Ulland Andersen is about to go under the knife and will miss a few weeks of football. Bassel Jradi was subbed off late in the game with an injury, but should be fit for this. Marcus Pedersen was unplayable at times and was probably the standout performer of the Gameweek with two goals and a great performance.
We can’t look beyond a Strømsgodset victory here, but at the same time we expect Tromsø to put on a better show than they did against Start.
Vålerenga – Odd
(Sunday, 7.00pm)
Vålerenga got off to a good start with an away win against Kristiansund, without looking particularly impressive. Chidera Ejuke looked fresh and could be a decent differential here. Odd had a really disappointing opening game, but John Kitolano still managed to pick up a bonus point after conceding two and being on the losing side. He’s definitely worth keeping. Fredrik Semb Berge on the other hand scored his fifth own goal in 19 games.
We’ll back Vålerenga here, but wouldn’t be surprised to see a 0-0.
Blank and Double Gameweeks
Harsh winter conditions took their toll even before the league started, leaving many to scramble to get their teams not only geared for Gameweek one, but also preparing for blanks and double Gameweeks as early as the second and fourth rounds. With Brann, Ranheim (twice), Sandefjord, Start, and Stabæk missing out on games in the first two Gameweeks, picking a strategy early on in wasn’t an easy task.
The first Gameweek did leave some impressions though.
We saw a Sandefjord-team with nothing to offer as they continued their poor run from pre-season into the league start. Their Double Gameweek 4 leaves us wondering if it’s worth looking into them at all, although two home games then could turn our heads. If you’re looking for option from Sandefjord, Joakim Solberg Olsen, Abdoulaye Seck and Ingvar Jonsson (assuming he get his place back) should be the main prospects. Pau Morer could be worth a punt in midfield.
The second team to feature in the first Double Gameweek 4 is Ranheim, a team we will not be introduced to until Gameweek 3, as their first two matches have been postponed due to the winter conditions. Together with their trip to Sandefjord, they also visit Tromsø in Gameweek 4. Granted, we don’t know how Ranheim will look, but their assets are well priced and worth a punt with two games in a week. Erik Tønne (defender playing as a winger), Mads Reginiussen and Michael Karlsen are the prime candidates.
Stabæk and IK Start will play twice in Gameweek 6. Both showed great form in the first match of the campaign, but there are obvious problems with their double Gameweek – both have two tough away games against Brann and Rosenborg respectively that same round. Their fixtures in Gameweek 5 and Gameweek 7 do look good, however, so picking a few players for these games could be worth it.
For Stabæk, Ohi Omoijuanfo and Franck Boli played really well, both notching a goal and assist. Tonny Brochmann was one of the standout performers, without getting any returns or bonus points. John Hou Sæter looked really dangerous, hitting the woodwork and missing a one-on-one. He could be worth a punt at 5.0 for the double.
Start got of to a flying start with a 4-1 win against a terrible looking Tromsø side. Kevin Kabran, a player hyped in preseason, returned a goal and an assist and was the standout performer. Kristjan Floki Finnbogason also returned a goal and an assist, and looks like a good budget option at 6.0 up front. Elliot Kack scored a goal from a full back berth and was hailed as the man of the match in local media, despite no bonus points.
There is also the Ranheim – Brann fixture to come, although at the time of writing we’ve yet to get a new date for this one. A close eye on the Brann double in whatever Gameweek it falls could provide some decent points. As well as the names mentioned further up from Brann, we’ll back Vito Wormgoor and Steffen Lie Skålevik as good picks.
Niemi’s Gameweek 2 Picks
Hansen
Rolantsson – Kind Mikalsen – Kitolano
Helland – Haugen – Zachariassen – Melgalvis
Bendtner (K) – Skålevik – Amang
MrKlin’s Gameweek 2 Picks
Hansen
Rolantsson – Kitolano – Haugen
Zachariassen – Kaasa – Helland (K) – Melgalvis
Bendtner – Pedersen – Skålevik
Key Links
Official source for lineups, normally 1hr 15m before kick off.
Preseason spreadsheet – all credit go to @FotballfeberESN on Twitter
MT Pocket’s Fixture ticker.
WhoScored – Results, table, detailed player and team stats.
6 years, 1 month agoAbsolutely Lovely!!!