Sarpsborg 08 will be aiming to make it three straight wins in all competitions when they continue their Eliteserien campaign against Sandefjord on Sunday afternoon.
The home side are currently sixth in the table, boasting 18 points from their opening 11 matches of the season, while Sandefjord occupy 14th, picking up just nine points from their first 10 games.
Match preview
Sarpsborg have won five, drawn three and lost three of their opening 11 matches of the campaign, picking up 18 points in the process, which has left them in sixth position in the table.
Stefan Billborn's side will enter this game off the back of successive wins, recording a 3-0 victory over Rosenborg in the league on June 25 before beating Sogndal 4-3 in the NM Cupen on Wednesday.
Sarpsborg have finished eighth in three of their last five campaigns at this level of football, but they were third in 2017 and will certainly be looking up the division rather than down at this stage.
Billborn's team have picked up seven points from their five home league games this season and will be facing a Sandefjord side that are yet to win on their travels this term.
Sarpsborg have faced Sandefjord on 16 previous occasions, and it is the former who lead the overall head-to-head record between the two sides, triumphing seven times to Sandefjord's five.
Sandefjord will enter this weekend's match off the back of a 3-2 defeat to Haugesund on June 11, with the result following a 4-1 victory over Odd in their first game of the month.
A total of nine points from 10 matches has left the visitors in 14th position in the table, two points clear of 15th-placed HamKam and only one point behind Valerenga directly above them.
Hans Erik Odegaard's side have actually lost five of their last six matches in all competitions, but there is still plenty of football to be played this season, and the fans will be demanding an improvement in the coming weeks.
The Boys are in their fourth straight season at this level of football, finishing 11th, 10th and 14th in their last three campaigns.
In 2022, Sandefjord competed in the relegation playoffs, overcoming Kongsvinger to keep hold of their top-flight position for the current season.
Team News
Sarpsborg will be without the services of Magnar Odegaard due to a knee injury, but the home side are otherwise in good shape entering this weekend's contest.
Kristian Opseth has been the team's main source of goals this season, finding the back of the net on five occasions, and he will again operate in the final third of the field.
There is every chance that head coach Billborn will name the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against Rosenborg in the league last time out, with Ramon Lundqvist operating as the number 10.
As for Sandefjord, the visitors have not reported any injury concerns for this weekend's match.
Danilo Al-Saed is the team's leading goalscorer this season with four, and the 24-year-old will again operate in an advanced area for the visitors here.
Aleksander Nilsson has contributed two goals from central midfield this term, meanwhile, and he will feature from the start for Sandefjord on Sunday.
Sarpsborg 08 possible starting lineup:
Kristiansen; Wichne, Utvik, Skipper, Soltvedt; Andersen, Torp; Baah, Lundqvist, Maigaard; Opseth
Sandefjord possible starting lineup:
Keto; Berglie, Taaje, Foss, Egeli; Ayer, Ottosson, Nilsson; Koomson, Tveter, Al-Saed
We say: Sarpsborg 08 2-1 Sandefjord
Sandefjord will feel that they are better than nine points from 10 matches, and the visitors will are certainly capable of securing a vital win this weekend. Sarpsborg are the favourites, though, and we are expecting them to secure all three points to boost their top-three hopes.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
