Sandefjord and FK Haugesund will be looking to secure back-to-back league victories when they go head to head at Komplett Arena in round 16 of the Norwegian Eliteserien on Sunday.
Having failed to win any of the last four meetings between the sides, the Hvalfangerne will set out seeking to get one over the visitors and continue their surge from the bottom end of the league table.
Match preview
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Eliteserien strugglers Sandefjord picked up the biggest result of round 14 when they secured a stunning 2-1 victory over defending champions and league leaders Bodo/Glimt on July 13.
In a classic 'David versus Goliath' clash, Alexander Ruud Tveter and Stian Kristiansen both found the back of the net to put the hosts in a surprise lead before Patrick Berg pulled one back for Bodo/Glimt shortly after the hour mark.
Head coach Andreas Tegstrom will hope that the performance against the Glimt can serve as a catalyst for a solid run of form as his side had failed to win any of their previous eight league matches, losing five and claiming three draws since mid May.
Having finished 13th in the Eliteserien last season, Sandefjord have picked up three wins and four draws in their 15 league matches so far to collect 16 points and sit rooted to the bottom of the table, four points away from safety.
While the Hvalfangerne will be looking to continue from where they left off last time out, next up is the stern challenge of taking on an opposition side who are unbeaten in 16 of their last 19 encounters, picking up 12 wins and four draws since July 2008.
Like this weekend's hosts, Haugesund returned to winning ways last time out as they secured a narrow 1-0 victory against Viking when the two sides squared off at the Haugesund Stadion.
Despite seeing just 31% of the ball possession and being off the back foot for most of the game, Sebastian Tounekti came up trumps for the hosts as he netted the only goal of the game in the 47th minute to hand Viking their third league defeat.
Prior to that, the Maakene were on a run of three consecutive league games without a win, losing back-to-back games against Bodo/Glimt and Sarpsborg on home turf before playing out a 1-1 draw with Brann at the Brann Stadion on July 13.
Haugesund have now won five league games this season while claiming two draws and losing seven of their 14 matches to collect 17 points and sit 11th in the table, but could move into the top half of the table with a win this weekend.
Sancheev Manoharan's men will need to be at their best at Komplett Arena as they have failed to win any of their last four away games in the Eliteserien, picking up just two points on the road since beating Tromso 1-0 on April 14.
Team News
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Sandefjord will take to the pitch without the services of 22-year-old forward Darrell Tibell, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining an injury against Rosenborg on April 1.
Having recently returned from the sidelines, midfielder Aleksander Nilsson was an unused substitute against Bodo/Glimt last time out and the 21-year-old could be involved this weekend.
Off the back of a solid team display against the Glimt, Tegstrom could name a similar starting side on Sunday, with Vetle Egeli, Fredrik Berglie, Kristiansen and Christopher Cheng forming the back four.
Former Sarpsborg man Tveter should spearhead the attack once again, alongside Eman Markovic and Jakob Dunsby, while Sander Risan Mark, Filip Ottosson and Loris Mettler should team up in the centre of the park.
On the other hand, Haugesund will be unable to call upon the duo of Claus Niyukuri and 27-year-old Martin Samuelsen, who have been ruled out through injuries.
Amund Wichne has been out of action since suffering a cruciate ligament injury in February and the 27-year-old goalkeeper is also out of contention for Sunday's game.
Sandefjord possible starting lineup:
Keto; Egeli, Berglie, Kristiansen, Cheng; Mork, Ottosson, Mettler; Dunsby, Tveter, Markovic
FK Haugesund possible starting lineup:
Selvik; Hope, Baertelsen, Fredriksen, Krusnell; Leite, Konradsen; Sauer, Ludviksson, Tounekti; Diarra
We say: Sandefjord 1-1 FK Haugesund
Sandefjord and Haugesund head into the weekend off the back of impressive victories and will be looking to keep the juggernaut rolling. The Maakene are unbeaten in their last five visits to Komplett Arena and we see them holding out for a share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
