Eliteserien Fantasy has launched for the new season, a month before the first game will be played.
The English signup is here.
And our mini-league is up and running with the league code ‘t1jx9f‘.
Teams to Watch
Molde
The reigning champions Molde are expected to be the front runner for the title this season again. With the exception of centre back Ruben Gabrielsen joining Toulouse, they have kept all their key players for the new season. They still got some of the best players in the league, and have exceptional depth in all positions. While they offer some of the best Fantasy picks in the league, the squad depth means rotation is likely during the season.
Rosenborg
After a very disappointing season, Rosenborg managed to secure 3rd place and Europa League in the final week. They are expected to bounce back this season, and they certainly haven’t been sleeping during the winter. Kristoffer Zachariassen has joined from Sarpsborg and Dino Islamovic from Östersund, as well as Per Ciljan Skjelbred joining his old club in August after 9 seasons in the Bundesliga. Niklas Bendtner, Aleksander Søderlund, Mike Jensen, David Akintola and Bjørn Maars Johnsen are all gone, so there will be a lot of changes in the Rosenborg attack from last season.
Bodø/Glimt
Bodø/Glimt was a major surprise last season. They were heavily tipped to be fighting at the bottom of the table, but were challenging Molde for the title for most of the season and ended up finishing 2nd. The big players from last season, Amor Layouni and Håkon Evjen, are both gone, as well as key players like Ricardo Friedrich and Erlend Dahl Reitan (returned to Rosenborg). Despite the departures there are still optimism around the team and nobody would surprised to see them fighting in the top half again. They have made a number of signings to fill the gaps, including Karsten Junker who spent the second half of last season on loan at Stabæk.
Viking
Another major surprise last season, finishing 5th and producing a lot of goals in their first season back in Eliteserien. The popular Fantasy picks Zlatko Tripic and Kristian Thorstvedt are both gone, but Viking have made two major signings bringing back homegrown players Veton Berisha and Yann-Erik de Lanlay. They also have a few interesting players ready to step up in the gap left after Tripic and Thorstvedt’s departures.
Brann
A very disappointing season for Brann, who had ambitions of fighting at the top of the table. No teams scored fewer goals than Brann, and towards the end of the season they couldn’t be relied on for clean sheets either. This year Brann is aiming to play more attacking football. Fantasy legend Vito Wormgoor has left the club, and the club have yet to bring in a replacement for their captain. Veton Berisha has left the club for Viking, as well as Ruben Yttergård Jensen heading home to Tromsø. Daniel Pedersen has been signed from Lillestrøm to bolster Brann’s midfield, with Jon-Helge Tveita giving more depth to the defence and Robert Taylor providing more attacking options. At the time of writing it looks like Brann is pulling of a shock (loan) signing in goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmänn, who’s currently on loan at Norwich from Schalke.
Vålerenga
Year after year Vålerenga are mentioned as one of the teams expected to fight around the top of the table, yet year after year they end up disappointing. This year they have appointed Dag-Eilev Fagermo as their new manager. Fagermo left Odd after 12 years, and is widely seen as one of the better managers in Eliteserien. Beside Fredrik Oldrup Jensen joining the club, who Fagermo know from Odd, there has been no major changes to their squad yet. It remains to be seen what Fagermo can do with Vålerenga, but there is a lot of potential in this squad.
Players to watch
Magnus Wolff Eikrem – Midfield – 12.5
One of the very best players in the league, and a certain point scorer. The midfield maestro is always likely for assists, and knows how to score a goal as well. He is hard to ignore, even with a hefty price tag.
Leke James – Forward – 12.0
After just 1 start and 0 goals in the first 12 gameweeks last season, James scored 17 goals in 15 games in the final 18 gameweeks. This year he’s widely expected to be the top scorer in Eliteserien.
Pål Andre Helland – Midfielder – 11.0
After a very disappointing season for both Helland and Rosenborg, he is widely expected to be one of the key players in their hunt for the title in 2020. Despite limited minutes last year, he produced a decent number of returns towards the end of the season. If Rosenborg can find form and Helland can stay fit, he’ll be one of the top picks in the game.
Torgeir Børven – Forward – 11.0
Torgeir Børven unexpectedly become the top scorer in the league, scoring 21 goals in 30 games. Børven was a consistent performer through the season, and comes in with a much bigger price tag this year. With Fagermo leaving Odd and their form taking a major dip towards the end of last season, there are some doubts he can replicate his form of last season.
Alexander Stølås – Defender – 7.5
The most expensive defender in Eliteserien ever, with good reason. After producing 3 goals, 5 assists and 4 clean sheets in the first 12 games of the season, Stølås missed the rest of the season with a horror injury. Stølås is back fit, and we can definitely expect more attacking returns from his deadly left foot.
Niklas Castro – Midfielder – 8.5
8.5 for a player from a newly promoted team? There is a reason for that price tag. Aalesund dominated OBOS-ligaen 2019, and Niklas Castro played a key part scoring 17 goals and assisting 11 in 24 games. He mainly featured as an attacking midfielder, but he also played some games as a striker. Born in Norway with a Norwegian mother and Chilean father, Castro got a call up to the Chilean national team in October 2019 while playing in the Norwegian second tier. Despite his hefty price tag, he will be a very popular pick.
Things to know
Chips
The chips in Eliteserien remain the same as last season. With “Attack! Attack!” you can captain all your three forwards in one gameweek, while “Two Captains” give you double points from both your captain and vice captain. “Rich Uncle” is similar to “Free Hit” in FPL, with the difference being unlimited budget for the “Rich Uncle” chip.
Bonus
The bonus system remain the same, with the Eurosport (Norwegian broadcaster of Eliteserien) commentators handing out the bonus points after the game. You’ll have two wildcards like in FPL, one for the first half of the season and one for the second half of the season.
DGWs
Just like last year, there are double gameweek fixtures already confirmed before the season starts.
Molde have moved two of their summer fixtures because of Champions League qualification, which results in Molde – Mjøndalen being moved from Gameweek 18 to Gameweek 12 and Molde – Brann being moved from GW20 to GW26. This means Molde will face Start (H) and Mjøndalen (H) in Gameweek 12, while Mjøndalen face Vålerenga (A) Molde (A). In Gameweek 12 Molde will face Brann (H) and Odd (H), while Brann will play Rosenborg (H) and Molde (A).
Those weeks should be prime weeks for chip usage, particularly Gameweek 12 with two prime home fixtures for Molde.
And finally..
Remember to sign up and join our Fantasy Football Scout mini-league! The mini-league code: ‘t1jx9f‘.
We’re looking to greatly expand our Eliteserien coverage this year, so look out for more developments in the coming days – be sure to bookmark the new Eliteserien homepage, where you can find all our latest Eliteserien content.
And remember! Only comments about Eliteserien should be left on this article. This is a dedicated Eliteserien space!
4 years, 1 month ago
A brand new season!
Thanks Niemi for writing, looking forward to seeing how this season goes.
On a slight aside - my knowledge of Eliteserien is low (to say the least!) so if anyone wants to think about doing occasional hot topics in key weeks or in the run up to the season starting, we'd greatly appreciate it. Best of luck everyone!