Rosenborg will welcome Tromso to Lerkendal Stadion for a Sunday afternoon clash as action continues in the Eliteserien. The hosts are aiming to build some consistency in the league while the visitors have their sights set on closing the gap on the leaders.
Rosenborg are struggling for consistency and have picked up just three wins from their last 10 matches in all competitions. They were held 2-2 at Sarpsborg last time out in the league, but will head into this clash off the back of a 5-0 victory over Banga in a UEFA Conference League qualifier on Thursday.
Sitting fifth in the table, the task for Rosenborg will be to use that result as a spark for some resurgence. However, their home form remains unconvincing as Alfred Johansson's men are winless in three of their last four matches in front of their fans.
In contrast to Rosenborg's struggles, Tromso have impressed this season and are currently second in the table, five points off the pace. Jorgen Vik’s men have won their last five Eliteserien matches, earning a 3-1 victory over Bryne in their previous fixture.
Tromso are just as impressive on their travels, winning their last five away matches in the league. There have been some high-scoring outcomes on this run, like the 3-2 victory at Stromsgodset and the 3-1 win at Ham Kam.
How the bookies view it: Rosenborg slight favourites
Rosenborg have the edge among the bookies and are priced at 20/21 by BoyleSports for a home win. A victory for Tromso is valued at 11/5 while a draw is set at odds of 9/4.
Head to head: Close recent meetings
Rosenborg have a 24-14 advantage with 10 draws from 48 previous matches against Tromso. However, recent meetings have been evenly split, with four wins each and two draws from the last 10 matches. The most recent clash was a friendly last October, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Players to watch: Eyes on Erlien
Vegard Erlien has stood out for Tromso this season, scoring eight league goals so far. Ieltsin Camoes has also scored five times this season, and both men can combine to produce over 0.5 goals – priced at 4/11 with BoyleSports.
Rosenborg will look to Dino Islamovic and Emil Ceide to provide the spark in attack, with both men scoring three goals each this season. Both men can ensure the visitors score over 0.5 goals – offered at odds of 2/9.
Probable line-ups:
Erlend Reitan and Noah Holm could be handed starts for Rosenborg, having both come off the bench in the previous fixture. Goalkeeper Sander Tangvik should keep his place, while Emil Ceide and Islamovic are set to continue their attacking partnership.
For Tromso, first-choice goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard should remain between the sticks. Having built a solid partnership in defence, the trio of Abubacarr Kinteh, Tobias Guddal and Vetle Skjaervik are expected to continue at the back, with Erlien and Camoes set to lead the line.
Rosenborg: Tangvik; Witry, Racic, Nemcik, Pereira, Vaananen, Selnaes, Zeidan, Reitan-Sunde, Islamovic, Ceide
Tromso: Haugaard, Skjaervik, Guddal, Kinteh, Cornic, Edvardsson, Jenssen, Hjerto-Dahl, Norheim, Erlien, Camoes
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have scored in seven of the last 10 matches between Rosenberg and Tromso (BTTS YES – priced at 4/6 with BoyleSports). The visitors have seen over 2.5 goals in their last two meetings (Over 2.5 goals – valued at 5/6).
Tromso have won nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions and are unbeaten in eight of their last nine away fixtures (Tromso double chance – 7/10). The visitors have also scored first in their last five matches (Tromso to score first – priced at 13/10).
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