Burkina Faso
Chinese Taipei
Nigeria

Preview: Valerenga Fotball vs. Molde - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 13 July 2023, 16:15
Valerenga Fotball will be aiming to remain outside of the Norwegian Eliteserien relegation places by beating Molde on Saturday.

The visitors, meanwhile, could move as high as third in the table by securing an away victory.

Match preview

Having finished in the top 10 positions of Norway's top flight in all bar two seasons since gaining promotion from the second tier in 2001, Valerenga could be in store for their first relegation battle for some time.

The Bohemians did manage to put an end to a losing streak of four league matches by drawing 0-0 away to Tromso IL last weekend, while they advanced to the semi-finals of the Norwegian Cup by beating Brann 3-2 in midweek.

However, it is almost two months since they last won in the league, which has seen them fall to within one point of the relegation zone ahead of hosting Molde at Intility Arena on Saturday.

As such, head coach Geir Bakke - who famously led one of his previous clubs Sarpsborg 08 to the Europa League group stage in 2018 - and his players will be determined to build on their morale-boosting victory in the cup in midweek, with all three points required to ensure that they have no chance of falling into the bottom three this weekend.

Reigning champions Molde, meanwhile, are attempting to hang in there in the race to retain their title, which appears an unlikely ambition with runaway leaders Bodo/Glimt siting 12 points clear of them at the summit.

Erling Moe's side recently threw away a two-goal lead against their rivals to draw 2-2, although they had worked wonders to engineer that position for themselves in the first place given that their goalkeeper Jacob Karlstrom had been sent off when the scoreline was goalless after just 17 minutes.

Molde have bounced back in excellent style to record comfortable wins over Brann and Sarpsborg, with the latter seeing them join Valerenga in the last four of the Norwegian Cup after goals from Eric Kitolano and Emil Breivik within the opening five minutes helped them coast through.

With seven wins from their last 10 league outings, Moe will be determined for his players to keep cutting the deficit to Bodo/Glimt down across the coming weeks, with finishing within the top two positions for the seventh successive season certainly being a realistic target for the club.

Valerenga Fotball Norwegian Eliteserien form:

W

L

L

L

L

D

Molde Norwegian Eliteserien form:

W

W

L

W

D

W

Team News

Valerenga could be without Aaron Kiil Olsen, Storm Strand-Kolbjornsen and Daniel Hakans due to injury, while Leonard Zuta is suspended for an accumulation of bookings after receiving a yellow card against Tromso.

Stefan Strandberg could return to the heart of the hosts' defence in Zuta's absence, but Bakke is unlikely to make many alterations after claiming a crucial win against Brann on Wednesday.

Molde, meanwhile, will travel without Martin Ellingsen and Eirik Ulland Andersen due to ongoing knee issues.

Like his forthcoming counterpart, Moe may see no reason to change a winning team after dispatching high-flying Brann in their last game, and he will be hoping to overtake them in the table by winning here.

Valerenga Fotball possible starting lineup:

Sjoeng; Hedenstad, Kjelsen, Strandberg, Juklerod; Ofkir, Riisnaes, Strand, Bjordal, Thorvaldsen; Jatta

Molde possible starting lineup:

Petersen; Haugan, Bjornbak, Hagelskjaer; Linnes, Breivik, Mannsverk, Grodem, Haugen; Kitolano, Eriksen

We say: Valerenga Fotball 1-2 Molde

After making a poor start to the season, Molde have returned to their best across recent weeks, and they will be determined to reduce the significant gap between themselves and Bodo/Glimt at the top of the table.

Valerenga, on the other hand, have picked up just one point from their last five league games and appear set for a difficult campaign. We expect the visitors to work hard for all three points on Saturday.

Previews by email

Top News

4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea and West Ham United will be looking to strengthen their bid to qualify for Europe when they square off at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Still in the running for European football next season, deposed Serie A champions Napoli meet relegation-threatened Udinese on Monday evening. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Still in the hunt for two trophies this season, Atalanta BC will aim to keep the pressure on Serie A's top five when they visit relegated Salernitana on Monday. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min - like many of his teammates - was found wanting in Spurs' 2-0 Premier League loss to London rivals Chelsea in midweek, where the Lilywhites' fleeting Champions League chances suffered another crushing blow. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Marcus Rashford will reportedly hold showdown talks with the Manchester United hierarchy in a bid to address his struggles during the 2023-24 campaign. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England boss Gareth Southgate is reportedly not considering including Manchester United forward Jadon Sancho in his squad for this summer's European Championship. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Atlanta vs. Minnesota Utd (Sunday, 12.30am) Two sides currently in contrasting form go head to head in the MLS as Atlanta United play host to Minnesota United at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides separated by just one point in the Primeira Liga standings go head to head on Sunday as SC Farense play host to Estoril Praia at the Estadio de Sao Luis. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Sociedad vs. Las Palmas (Saturday, 1.00pm) Real Sociedad will be bidding to bounce back from their defeat against Real Madrid when they continue their La Liga campaign at home to Las Palmas on Saturday afternoon. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Monza vs. Lazio (Saturday, 5.00pm) Still vying for a place in Europe thanks to their recent revival, Lazio visit mid-table Monza on Saturday evening. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Dortmund vs. Augsburg (Saturday, 2.30pm) Three days on from their Champions League semi-final first-leg victory in midweek, Borussia Dortmund return to Westfalenstadion to welcome Augsburg for a Bundesliga clash on Saturday afternoon. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Le Havre vs. Strasbourg (Saturday, 2.00pm) Le Havre face Strasbourg at the Stade Oceane on Saturday afternoon in Ligue 1, a game between two sides who are battling against relegation with just three fixtures remaining in the season. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic vs. Hearts (Saturday, 3.00pm) Celtic play host to Hearts on Saturday afternoon looking for the win that will move them a step closer to defending their Scottish Premiership title. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal vs. Bournemouth (Saturday, 12.30pm) Bidding to temporarily go four points clear at the top of the Premier League standings, Arsenal kick off Saturday's action with the visit of Bournemouth to the Emirates Stadium for the lunchtime kickoff. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Braga will be looking to bounce back from last week's loss at Benfica when they play host to Casa Pia at the Estadio Braga Municipal in round 32 of the Primera Liga on Sunday. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lille host Lyon on Monday at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, knowing that a single point would be enough to officially claim a spot in the Europa League next season at the very least. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Table-toppers Galatasaray will look to maintain their lead in the Turkish Super Lig title race when they host Sivasspor on Sunday evening at Rams Park. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim has refused to rule out the suggestion that he has held talks over succeeding Mauricio Pochettino as Chelsea boss. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have reportedly placed Newcastle United's Alexander Isak at the top of their list of forward targets for the summer transfer window. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The fight to avoid relegation intensifies as Gaziantep take on Hatayspor at Gaziantep Stadium on Sunday evening. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides vying for a top-four finish go head-to-head when Istanbul Basaksehir host Kasimpasa at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium on Sunday afternoon. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Feyenoord boss Arne Slot remains confident an agreement will be finalised for him to become Liverpool boss despite his admission that nothing is confirmed yet. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Famalicao and Benfica draw the curtains on round 32 of the Primeira Liga when they go head to head at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao on Sunday. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk It will be a crucial match towards the top of the Eredivisie table this Sunday as AZ Alkmaar faces FC Twente, with both continuing to push for a third-place finish. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea Women will attempt to get their title bid back on track when they face Bristol City Women in Sunday's Women's Super League contest. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Luton Town missed the chance to move out of the Premier League relegation zone on Friday evening, as they drew 1-1 with Everton at Kenilworth Road. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could match a club winning record in the Premier League when they welcome Bournemouth to the Emirates for Saturday's lunchtime kickoff. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has selected a strong squad for Saturday's La Liga clash with relegation-threatened Cadiz at Bernabeu. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk After suffering a rare home defeat in midweek, Roma will try to retain their grip on a top-five place in Serie A when welcoming Juventus to Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.