Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Norwegian Eliteserien clash between Tromso IL and Lillestrom, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Lillestrom will attempt to get out of the Norwegian Eliteserien relegation playoff spot on Sunday when they travel to face Tromso IL.
The hosts only sit above their opponents via goal difference, placing just as much pressure on them in this particular fixture.
Match preview
Tromso continued their strong run of form in midweek as they registered their third victory of the season by defeating Fredrikstad 3-0, helping them to rise out of the relegation zone.
A Lasse Nordas brace and a goal from Jakob Napoleon Romsaas wrapped the game up in style, but it was also an equally impressive defensive performance that marked consecutive clean sheets.
It extended Tromso’s undefeated run to three matches, with the Boys having hit their stride after a difficult start to the season which has left the club fighting towards the bottom of the table.
Jorgen Vik‘s men have showcased consistency, and that has already allowed them to climb into 12th position, with a victory this weekend having the potential to take them as high as eighth.
The Boys will be confident considering all three of their wins this season have taken place at home, and after scoring 12 goals across their six matches at the Alfheim Stadion, they know where the back of the net is.
That is something that the visitors will be wary of heading into this fixture, but Lillestrom have been far stronger away from home this season, having only conceded four times on the road.
The away form of Andreas Georgson‘s men has been their saving grace so far this season, as that is where all their victories have taken place which should lead to a competitive encounter on Sunday.
Lillestrom heads into this on the back of a 2-1 loss against Odd, with the goal scored by Espen Garnas in the 96th minute proving to have little impact on the grand scheme of things.
With the club currently in the relegation playoff position there is an element of pressure on Georgson to start changing his team’s fortunes sooner rather than later.
Lillestrom only sits above Sarpsborg 08 via goal difference, but at the same time, three points in this match could catapult them away from the relegation zone completely depending on other results.
Tromso IL Norwegian Eliteserien form:
Lillestrom Norwegian Eliteserien form:
Team News
With five goals between them, Nordas and Romsaas will likely lead the line for Tromso, especially after they collectively scored three in midweek.
However, at the other end of the field, the hosts are missing Miika Koskela as he has suffered a back injury that will keep him sidelined until July at the earliest.
The visitors are also dealing with injuries at the moment and are expected to be without the services of Mathis Bolly, Martin Roseth and Elias Solberg this weekend.
There was a boost for Lillestrom in midweek though as Henrik Skogvold was able to feature as a substitute to mark his return from injury, bolstering the squad depth.
Tromso IL possible starting lineup:
Haugaard; Vik, A Jenssen, Skjaervik; Paintsil, Hjerto-Dahl, R Jenssen, Antonsen, Norheim; Romsaas, Nordas
Lillestrom possible starting lineup:
Christiansen; Charles, Gabrielsen, Garnas, Tonnessen; Ibrahimaj, Lundemo; Karlin, Asen, Va; Olsen
We say: Tromso IL 2-1 Lillestrom
This fixture brings a team with good home form against one that is thriving on the road, which should lead to a closely contested fixture.
Considering how tight things are in the table at the moment there is plenty on the line here, but the recent form of Tromso could give them the edge.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.