AGF Aarhus vs Midtjylland
, KO: 17:00 Jul 19, 2024, Ceres Park & Arena
MIDTJYLLAND begin their Danish Superliga title defence with a Friday night trip to AGF Aarhus. The champions often come out on top in this fixture and will be confident of claiming the upper hand at Ceres Park & Arena.
AGF Aarhaus had a decent campaign last season as they finished fifth on the standings. They ended the season on a particularly good note, beating powerhouses like Copenhagen and Brondby in their final two matches.
Manager Uwe Rosler will be targeting an improvement on last season’s showings and will be keen to pick up where they left off. Aarhaus have also been solid in preseason as they are unbeaten in three matches and head into Friday’s opener with a 2-1 victory over Luton Town.
Midtjylland were head and shoulders above everyone else last season and deservedly claimed their fourth Superliga title. They did the double over Aarhus and then went on to end the season unbeaten in the final five matches.
Thomas Thomasberg’s men have not been overly active in preseason, playing only one warm-up match ahead of the big kick-off. Midtjylland were held to a 2-2 draw by Superliga side SonderjyskE.
How the bookies view it: Midtjylland with the upper hand
Midtjylland have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 23/20 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Aarhaus is valued at 2/1 while a draw is set at odds of 9/4 by Betfred.
Recent head to head: Fixture often favours Midtjylland
Midtjylland have a fine record in this fixture and are unbeaten in the last five matches against Aarhaus. They have claimed four wins in that run and did the double last season, winning 1-0 at Ceres Park & Arena before claiming a 2-1 victory at home.
Players to watch: Franculino on the hunt again
Franculino impressed for Midtjylland last season, scoring 12 goals and will be the one to watch on Friday. The forward was on target in the final three fixtures of last season and could be backed to pick up his scoring form at 7/4 with Betfred.
Patrick Mortensen was one of the standout players for Aarhus last season, finishing with 13 Superliga goals. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime on Friday at 9/5 with Betfred.
Probable line-ups
AGF Aarhus have not lost any key players during the transfer window and could feature a similar team to last season’s side. Patrick Mortensen should lead the line while Frederik Tingager is set to line up in defence.
Jonas Lossl is the undisputed number one for Midtjylland and should start in goal on Friday. Cho Gue-Sung should lead the line alongside Franculino, who was one of the stars for the champions last season.
AGF Aarhus: Hansen, Beijmo, Tingager, Kahl, Links, Bach, Poulsen, Emil Madsen, Anderson, Bech, Mortensen
Midtjylland: Lossl, Paulinho, Bech, Andersson, Gabriel, Charles, Martinez, Sorensen, Brynhildsen, Franculino, Cho
Anytime else catch the eye?
The last meeting between both teams produced over 2.5 goals and a similar outcome is priced at 4/5 by Betfred. Midtjylland have seen over 3.5 goals in their last two Superliga matches so a repeat could also be considered at 2/1 by Betfred.
Midtjylland have opened the scoring in four of the last five meetings with Aarhaus and a similar pattern is priced at 4/5 with Betfred.
This match between AGF Aarhus and Midtjylland will be played on Jul 19, 2024 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best AGF Aarhus vs Midtjylland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
