Danish champions FC Midtjylland get their Superliga title defence underway when they journey to the Ceres Park Arena to face Aarhus in the season curtain-raiser on Friday.
This will be the second meeting between the two sides within the space of two weeks, with the Ulvene storming to a 4-0 victory when they squared off in pre-season on July 4.
Match preview
Aarhus failed in their bid to return to Europe as they secured a fifth-placed finish in the Championship Round last season following a disappointing second half of the campaign.
Uwe Rosler's men picked nine wins and nine draws from their first 22 matches to collect 36 points and end the regular season in the top half of the table, securing a spot in the Championship playoffs for the second consecutive year.
However, Aarhus ran out of steam at the business end of the campaign where they picked up just eight points from their final 10 matches to finish fifth in the table, 15 points adrift of the Europa Conference League playoff spot.
Two back-to-back victories saw De Hvii'e end the season on a positive note as they beat Copenhagen 3-2 at home on May 21, five days before securing a 3-2 win over Brondby at the Brondby Stadion in the season finale.
Aarhus head into the new campaign off the back of a solid pre-season, where they went unbeaten in three of their four matches, claiming one draw and two wins, including Saturday's 2-1 victory over English outfit Luton Town.
Midtjylland, on the other hand, were crowned Danish champions for the first time since the 2019-2020 campaign in dramatic fashion as they clinched the league title on the final day of the season.
Tied on 62 points with Brondby heading into the season final, the Ulvene scored three second-half goals to secure a 3-3 draw against Copenhagen, with Brondby suffering a shock 3-2 loss to Aarhus at the Ceres Park Arena.
Midtjylland had led the league after the first phase of the season with 48 points from 22 matches before picking up four wins and three draws in the Championship Round to finish the campaign with 63 points, one point above runners-up Brondby.
Like Friday's hosts, Thomas Thomasberg's men picked up two wins and one draw in their four pre-season games, with their only defeat coming in the final warm-up match as they were beaten 3-1 by Swiss outfit Sturm Graz last Saturday.
Midtjylland will be backing themselves to begin their title defence on a positive note as they take on an opposing side who have failed to win any of their last six meetings, including four defeats in their four encounters this year.
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Team News
Aarhus will head into the season opener without several players down the spine of the team as Tobias Anker, Janni Serra and Mikkel Duelund are all recuperating from injuries.
Experienced midfielder Tobias Molgaard has been out of action since coming off with a severe injury against Odense in March and the 27-year-old will play no part in Friday's game.
They are joined on the club's injury table by 23-year-old midfielder Kevin Yakob, who continues his long journey to full fitness after suffering an ACL injury in June 2023.
Aarhus have completed the signings of teenage striker Richmond Gyamfi, while Swedish goalkeeper Leopold Wahlstedt could make his debut after recently completing a move from English side Blackburn Rovers.
As for Midtjylland, Thomasberg will be unable to call upon the services of South Korean forward Gue-sung Cho, who has been ruled out since coming off with a knee injury against Silkeborg in May.
Brazilian striker Marrony has been out of action since sustaining a severe injury last September and the 25-year-old is also out of contention for Friday's game.
Midtjylland have been active in the summer transfer window, bringing in Denil Castillo, goalkeeper Elias Olafsson, former Arsenal youngster Ovie Ejeheri and 28-year-old striker Adam Buksa, who netted one goal in two appearances for Poland in the just-concluded European Championship.
Aarhus possible starting lineup:
Wahlstedt; Dalsgaard, Tingager, Abbew; Bejimo, Links, Poulsen, Madsen, Bech; Mortensen, Anderson
FC Midtjylland possible starting lineup:
Olafsson; Anderson, Juninho, Bech, Paulinho; Brynhildsen, Sorensen, Charles, Castillo; Buksa, Dju
We say: Aarhus 1-3 FC Midtjylland
Aarhus are in for a tough 90 minutes against a well-drilled Midtjylland side, who have won each of their last four meetings and have lost just one game across all competitions since the start of May.
While we expect the hosts to put up a fight, Thomasberg's men boast the firepower needed to get the job done and we are backing them to come away with all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
