Matchday 12 in the 2023 Norwegian Eliteserien season will see Lillestrom take on Tromso IL at the Arasen Stadion on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts are currently in seventh place in the league with 17 points after 10 matches, while the visitors come into the match in second place with 23 points, eight behind the league leaders, though they have played a game less.
Match preview
After being knocked out of the NM Cupen at the start of June, Lillestrom will be returning to the field after three weeks, and they will be out to extend a three-match unbeaten league run which includes two draws and a win.
The most recent of those games came against Brann on June 11 and ended 2-2 with goals from Eskil Edh and Kristoffer Tonnessen on either side of half time, securing a share of the spoils for their side.
Lillestrom narrowly missed out on the European cup competition qualification spots last season, but with a record of five wins, two draws and three losses this term, they are just four points off the top three teams and have two games in hand on three of the six sides above them.
Geir Bakke's major area of concern up to this stage of the season will be his side's defensive frailties, as they have conceded the second-most goals of any side in the top half of the table.
Across the whole of last season, Lillestrom had conceded the fewest goals at home of any side in the league (13), but they have already let in nine in just five matches at Arasen Stadion this term.
The hosts will have fond memories against this opponent, having beaten them in a domestic cup quarter-final back in March, and if they can manage another victory here, they could find themselves inside the top five by the end of the weekend.
Meanwhile, after finishing seventh last year, Tromso have been notably better this season and lead the chasing pack behind Bodo/Glimt with a third of the season already complete.
The visitors did lose their last match 3-2 to the league leaders in a cup match in midweek; however, their 2-1 win against Stabaek last weekend was their fourth consecutive victory in the league, and their seventh in 11 matches, along with two draws and two losses.
Tromso managed to score two or more goals in each of their last four league matches, which will be a huge positive for Gaute Helstrup, whose side have registered only 16 goals so far this season, nine of which came in just those last four games.
However, they also come into this match with the best away record of any side this season and are the only team that is still unbeaten on the road with four wins and a draw, while they also have the league's best defensive stats in away matches, with just four goals conceded in five matches.
The visitors have not beaten this opposition in their last four attempts, drawing three and losing the most recent, but with Brann and Viking both playing sides that are languishing towards the bottom of the league this week, Gutan will have to go all-out for a win here, or they may slip out of the top three.
Team News
Lars Ranger is still suffering from an ankle injury and is likely to be out for at least another month, while Martin Ove Roseth will have to undergo a late fitness test following a head injury.
Bakke has fielded an unchanged side in his last two matches but may be tempted to hand a rare start to Tonnessen after the midfielder came off the bench to score the equaliser against Brann last time out.
Helstrup will have three injuries to deal with as attacking duo Runar Norheim and Lasse Nilsen are expected to be sidelined for a while longer, while Hilmir Mikaelsson has reported back to training, but this match has likely come too soon for him to feature in.
Vegard Erlien has scored seven of Tromso's 16 goals this season and will almost certainly start in attack for the visitors alongside Yaw Paintsil and Kent-Are Antonsen in the false-nine role.
Lillestrom possible starting lineup:
Christiansen; Garnas, Gabrielsen, Slordahl; Edh, Hoff, Knudsen, Dragsnes, Asen, Ibrahimaj; Adams
Tromso IL possible starting lineup:
Thomas; Gundersen, Oyvann, Psyche; Vesterlund, Jenssen, Opsahl, Bassi; Paintsil, Antonsen, Erlien
We say: Lillestrom 2-2 Tromso IL
While the visitors have found some form in front of goal, the hosts have been a difficult side to overcome in recent weeks. Historically, this has been a very close encounter, with each of the last four meetings ending in a draw in regulation time, and we feel this one could end the same way.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
