Seeking to move within two points of Eliteserien leaders Bodo/Glimt, high-flying Viking FK go head to head with FK Haugesund at the Haugesund Stadion on Sunday.
Having lost both home and away meetings between the sides last season, the hosts will head into the weekend looking to get one over the Dark Blues and return to winning ways.
Match preview
© Imago
Haugesund snapped their run of four consecutive defeats against Brann last weekend when they fought back from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw with the Bergen outfit at Brann Stadion.
Despite being on the front foot for most of the game, Brann were guilty of a wasteful display in front of goal as Japhet Sery Larsen scored a late own goal to cancel out Magnus Warming's 71st-minute opener and force a share of the spoils.
Head coach Sancheev Manoharan will hope that the result at the Brann Stadion can be the starting point for a turnaround for his side as they have now failed to taste victory in three consecutive league games, claiming one point from a possible nine, and have won just two of their last 10 league games since mid-April.
This poor run of results has seen the Dark Blues plunge into the danger zone as they currently sit 13th in the Eliteserien table, level on 14 points with Tromso and Odds BK, and just one point above rock-bottom Sandefjord.
While Haugesund will be looking to find their feet this weekend, next up is the stern challenge of taking on an opposing side who have won each of their most recent three encounters and are unbeaten in 15 of their last 16 meetings since May 2010.
Viking, on the other hand, continued their surge up the Eliteserien standings as they picked up a comfortable 2-0 victory over Kristiansund when the sides squared off at the Viking Stadion last Saturday.
Following a relatively uneventful first half, 26-year-old striker Sander Svendsen took matters into his own hands as he netted a second-half brace to hand Kristiansund their sixth defeat of the season.
Viking have now won four games on the bounce and are unbeaten in each of their last seven outings across all competitions, claiming six wins and one draw since a 4-1 home defeat at the hands of Lillestrom on May 16.
With 28 points from 14 matches, Morten Jensen's men are currently fourth in the league table, level on points with third-placed Molde and five points adrift of league leaders Bodo/Glimt.
Team News
![Viking forward Lars-Jorgen Salvesen in action on April 14, 2024 [IMAGO]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/26/lars-jorgen-salvesen.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Viking forward Lars-Jorgen Salvesen in action on April 14, 2024 [IMAGO]")
© Imago
Haugesund will have to cope without Malian forward Sory Ibrahim Diarra, who is suspended for one game after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking against Brann last time out.
On the injury front, Manoharan will be unable to call upon the duo of Claus Niyukuri and 27-year-old forward Martin Samuelsen, who continue their spells on the sidelines.
Viking remain without several players down the spine of the team as Nick D'Agostino and Zlatko Tripic are currently recuperating from leg and thigh injuries respectively.
Veteran midfielder Kristoffer Lokberg has been out of action since picking up an ankle injury in April, while Australian defender Franco Lino has been ruled out since May due to a thigh problem.
Lars-Jorgen Salvesen was forced off injured in the 14th minute against Kristiansund last weekend and the 28-year-old forward is a major doubt for Sunday's clash, meaning that 23-year-old Harald Tangen could be handed his sixth league start of the season.
FK Haugesund possible starting lineup:
Selvik; Hope, Baertelsen, Fredriksen, Krusnell; Sauer, Konradsen, Nyhammer, Leite, Tounekti; Seone
Viking FK possible starting lineup:
Gunnarsson; Bjoershol, Langaas, Stensness, Urbancic; Kvia-Egeskog, Bell, Yazbek; Christiansen, Salvesen, Tangen
We say: FK Haugesund 0-2 Viking FK
Viking will be licking their lips as they take on an out-of-sorts Haugesund side who have lost five of their seven home games this season. Jensen's men are currently firing on all cylinders and we are backing them to come away with all three points this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
