Tromso IL will be looking to close the gap on league leaders Bodo/Glimt when they host Lillestrom at the Romssa Arena on Sunday evening.
The hosts are currently third in the Norwegian Eliteserien, four points above the visitors, who occupy fifth place.
Match preview
Tromso are still well within reach of Bodo/Glimt, currently trailing the top-of-the-table side by just eight points, with a game in hand at their disposal.
So far this season, Gutan have looked like a much-improved side, having finished seventh in the 2022 campaign, and they key to their success has been their defence, having conceded the fewest goals of any side in the Eliteserien.
That said, Gaute Helstrup's side may need to improve significantly in an attacking sense if they are to mount a push for the title, considering they have scored just 23 goals this term, five fewer than any other team in the top seven.
Tromso head into this Sunday's encounter in fantastic form, having won their last two games, defying the odds to defeat Bodo/Glimt away from home in their last match, with Jakob Romsaas and Yaw Paintsil getting on the scoresheet.
Gutan announced themselves as real title contenders with their victory on the road last time out, but they face another tough test this weekend, against a side they have not beaten at home since 2017.
Indeed, Lillestrom have often got the better of their opponents in their recent encounters, and they head into the match in fine form, winning four of their last five Eliteserien matches, most recently defeating Ham-Kam 3-1 at the Arasen Stadion.
In the end, it proved to be a fairly routine victory for the Canaries, who dominated large parts of the game, but they were not as impressive in their most recent away match, losing 1-0 away against a struggling Haugesund side.
After their solid recent run of form, Simon Mesfin's side are now just four points behind Tromso, who currently occupy the final Europa Conference League qualification spot, and another win this weekend would help them lay down a marker as real contenders for the top three.
However, Mesfin may have to implement a slightly more attacking game plan, as Lillestrom have only scored nine of their 32 league goals this season on the road, with four of those coming in the 4-3 victory at Valerenga Fotball in May.
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Team News
After such an impressive victory in the last match, Helstrup is unlikely to make any changes to his side, with Romsaas set to lead the line again, having scored three goals in his last two matches.
The only notable absentee for Tromso is left-back Oskar Opsahl, who has missed the entire season through injury, meaning Paintsil is set to keep his place at left-wing back, after scoring his first goal of the season last time out.
As for Lillestrom, Martin Roseth will be unavailable, having only made one appearance this season before being ruled out with injury, while Kristoffer Tonnesen is also a doubt, after missing the last six games.
As Tonnesen is likely to be sidelined, Espen Garnas, Vetle Skjaervik and Vetle Dragsnes are set to start at centre-back, with the latter scoring his first goal of the season in the recent victory against Ham-Kam.
Tromso IL possible starting lineup:
Haugaard; Oyvann, Jenssen, Gundersen; Nielsen, Hjerto-Dahl, Jenssen, Antonsen, Paintsil; Romsaas, Erlien
Lillestrom possible starting lineup:
Hedenstad; Garnas, Skjaervik, Dragsnes; Ranger, Ibrahimaj, Hoff, Edh; Svendsen, Asen, Olsen
We say: Tromso IL 0-0 Lillestrom
Games involving Tromso IL have often been low-scoring affairs so far this season, while Lillestrom have struggled to find the back of the net on the road.
Given that the two teams are also fairly evenly-matched, we expect Sunday's game to finish as a stalemate.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Dominic Lund
