Football – Norway – Tippeligaen
Friday 11th July 2014 – Kickoff: 1900hrs
Lowly Aalesund look to have their work cut out if they’re to get anything out of tonight’s fixture with visitors and league leaders Molde when they meet at the Color Line Stadion.
Despite having won their last two Tippeligaen matches back-to-back and having home advantage, the fact still remains that the hosts have won just once on home turf this season and will face a tough examination tonight. It’s one thing to beat the likes of bottom club Sandnes Ulf 3-0 and bottom half Stabaek 2-0 away, but Molde have lost just once on the road so far.
The recent win against Sandnes was their first home win of the season which takes their overall home record to a disappointing 1-3-3 8/8 and against top half opposition, they’ve managed just a draw with Rosenborg 1-1 along with a defeat to Viking 1-2.
Scoring goals at home has been a problem for Aalesund with only bottom club Sandnes (6 goals) and Brann (7 goals) scoring fewer on home soil than them in the Tippeligaen.
Visitors Molde go into tonight’s encounter six points clear at the top of the league and another win here would extend this lead to an impressive nine points over second placed Stromsgodset.
Molde are currently enjoying a twelve match unbeaten run which started back in mid-April, and indeed they’ve suffered just one defeat so far all season which incidentally was a 1-2 loss away at Odd Ballklubb in the second match of the season.
Since then, Tor-Ole-Skullerud’s boys haven’t looked back and their away form reads a solid 4-2-1 12/6 with wins at Stabaek, Sandnes, Rosenborg and Lillestrom together with points at Haugesund and Bodo/Glimt.
In addition, the visitors also possess key attacking personnel in the shape of forward and leading goalscorer Elyounnoussi (9 goals) with Gulbrandsen (6 goals) and Chima (4 goals) in support, and their attacking depth may well hold the key in tonight’s match.
To sum up, Aalesund have struggled for goals at home and as a result have found it difficult to win on home turf while visitors Molde look the goods at the minute and should take the points tonight. I’ll go for a possible scoreline of 2-1 to Molde.
Pick: Molde straight win @ 1.80 Bet Victor
