Tromso IL will be bidding to make it six straight wins in all competitions when they continue their Eliteserien campaign away to basement side Aalesund on Sunday afternoon.
The visitors are currently third in the Eliteserien table, some 11 points behind the leaders Bodo/Glimt, while Aalesund are rock bottom of the division, boasting only four points from 10 matches.
Match preview
Aalesund secured a return to the top flight of Norwegian football by finishing second in the second tier in 2021, and they managed to claim ninth last term, some 15 points clear of the relegation zone.
The Orange and Blues have struggled to build on that success this term, though, with a record of one win, one draw and eight defeats from 10 matches leaving them at the foot of the table on four points.
Aalesund are only five points behind 13th-placed Haugesund, and it is still early in the season, so there is a lot of football left to play, but they have only netted five times this term and conceded 20.
The home side were last in league action on June 4, suffering a 3-1 defeat to Brann, and they then lost to the same opponents in the NM Cupen on Wednesday night, going out on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
Marius Boe's side have collected all four of their league points at home this season, but they will be welcoming a Tromso outfit with the second-best away record, picking up 10 points from their opening four games.
Tromso have never won the Eliteserien, but they have been runners-up on two occasions, most recently in 2011, while they have finished 12th and seventh in their last two campaigns at this level.
The Boys were a second-tier outfit as recently as 2020, but a strong start to this season has left them up in third position in the table, just three points behind second-placed Brann.
Gaute Helstrup's side have won five, drawn two and lost two of their nine league games this term to pick up 17 points, but they are still 11 behind runaway leaders Bodo/Glimt.
Tromso will enter this match off the back of five straight victories in all competitions, including a 1-0 success over Alta in the NM Cupen on Wednesday.
Helstrup's team recorded a 2-1 win over Sarpsborg 08 in their last league game on June 4, meanwhile, and they will be looking to make it three straight Eliteserien victories on Sunday.
Team News
Aalesund will again be missing forward Alexander Ammitzboll due to a long-term knee injury, while Kristoffer Barmen is suspended following his red card against Brann in the league last time out.
Isaac Atanga has scored four of the team's eight goals in all competitions this season, including three in the league, and he will again feature in the final third of the field.
Kasper Lunding is a slight doubt due to a muscular problem, though, which could lead to Markus Seehusen being introduced in an advanced area for the home side.
Tromso, meanwhile, will be without the services of Runar Norheim and Hilmir Mikaelsson due to shoulder and thigh problems respectively.
Goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard is also expected to miss a second game in a row through injury, which should see Simon Thomas again given the nod between the sticks.
Vegard Erlien is the team's leading goalscorer this season with four, and the 25-year-old will lead the line with support from Yaw Paintsil and Kent-Are Antonsen.
Aalesund possible starting lineup:
Grytebust; Andersen, Fallman, Hopland; Munksgaard, Segberg, Diop, Kitolano; Karlsbakk, Moses, Itanga
Tromso IL possible starting lineup:
Thomas; Vesterlund, Gundersen, Psyche, Oyvann, Bassi; Paintsil, Opsahl, Jenssen, Antonsen; Erlien
We say: Aalesund 0-2 Tromso IL
Aalesund are certainly better than they have shown in the early stages of the season, but it is difficult to back them to pick up a result against an in-form Tromso outfit. The visitors have been very impressive in recent weeks and should have too much quality for their opponents in this match.
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