Molde V KR Reykjavik Betting Tips: Molde/Molde – 11 July 2019

Molde V KR Reykjavik

Thursday 11 July 2019 – 18:00 Kick-Off
UEFA Europa League
Pick: Molde/Molde in HT/FT Betting
Odds: 19/20
Bookmaker: BetVictor

	1	X	2
	1/4	43/10	15/2

* (All betting odds in this article are correct as of July 10th, 2019 at 11:53)

Preview: The Europa League has pitted two current league leaders against one another here. Molde are currently setting the pace in Norway and remain unbeaten at home so far, whereas KR Reykjavik have surged clear at the top of the Icelandic Urvalsdeild. Who will come out on top when the two clubs meet in Norway, inside the Aker Stadion?

Europa League Betting at Bet Victor

Molde Preview – Eliteserien leaders to continue fine form?

Football in Norway takes center stage during the summer months, with the current season having begun on March 17th. So there cannot be any excuses regarding a lack of rhythm from Molde on Thursday, when they begin another qualifying campaign in the Europa League with genuine hopes of reaching the group stage – a feat they achieved as recently as 2015.

Both the levels of confidence and momentum won’t be in short supply, either. As this has been a team in seriously hot form domestically. After 15 games played in the Norwegian Eliteserien, the club already find themselves setting the pace at the top of the standings. Manager Erling Moe has overseen a team which has gone four points clear of the chasing pack, losing on only three occasions (W9 D3 L3).

None of those losses were incurred at home, where they remain unbeaten after seven matches (W6 D1, GF19 GA3). A recent 1-1 draw with Brann did, however, halt an impressive six-match winning streak at their Aker Stadion. Games at home have averaged a little over 3 goals-per-game (3.14), with Molde accounting for 2.71 of that total. No other side in the division can rival their tally of 19 goals scored on home soil. Over 2.5 Goals is 23/40 with Bet365, while Molde to score at least three goals all by themselves is 6/5.

Molde should take a fair amount of stopping in this particular game, therefore. Especially as this current group of players are in a stronger vein of form than the one which swept aside all challengers in last season’s Europa League qualifying rounds: beating Northern Ireland’s Glenavon (6-3 on aggregate), Albanian side Laçi (5-0), and Scotland’s Hibernian (3-0), all comfortably, before a devastating 4-3 loss to Russian side Zenit St Petersburg in the play-offs.

KR Reykjavik Preview – Away goal crucial to Icelanders hopes of qualification?

The group stages of Europe’s elite club competitions have so far proved elusive to KR Reykjavik, a club sent packing in the second qualifying round in each of their previous four attempts at Europa League qualification. One of those came at the hands of Norwegian side Rosenborg in 2015, losing 4-0 on aggregate. Can the Icelanders fare any better in similar surroundings?

Perhaps. The signs are more positive this time around, with the team currently enjoying a stunning start to the new league season. After 12 rounds of fixtures, the club nicknamed KR-ingar are already seven points clear atop of the standings. Manager Runar Kristinsson has overseen only one defeat in the current campaign (W9 D2 L1). While a 2-1 victory in their most recent fixture, away at IBV on July 6, was their eighth consecutive triumph. That improves to ten when you include their exploits in the Icelandic cup as well.

The atmosphere within the dressing room should be very upbeat as a result, on the back of their sensational efforts thus far. The issue now will be finding a way of translating this into their performances in Europe, against a bigger club from a more established league who have also made a bright start on the domestic front. The omens suggest it will not be easy: Rosenborg in 2015 (0-4 on aggregate), Grasshopper Zurich (4-5) in 2016, and Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2017 (1-5) were among those who were simply too strong for the Icelanders in recent years.

A problem with their previous efforts on the continent has been an inability to score crucial away goals. No team in Iceland, at least, has so far been successful in preventing the league leaders from scoring on their travels, averaging 1.67 goals away from home. The last three in particular produced a minimum of two goals for KR, who really should be believing they can cause their more illustrious opponents a problem or two on current form.

Betting Summary

The confidence should be flowing in both sets of players. So we could be in for an entertaining affair. Over 2.5 goals is on the thin side but has solid claims, while both teams to score has potential.

However, there is no escaping the obvious – which is Molde being commanding favourites. They currently top the Norwegian Eliteserien, a league ranked 24 places above the Icelandic Urvalsdeild that KR Reykjavik proudly sit atop of. They’re also a club which came within a whisker of reaching the group stages of this very competition last season, but the sheer fact they negotiated the earlier qualifying rounds with such ease is perhaps ominous.

Molde should win, but cannot be back at 2/7. The Norwegians have been quick out of the blocks at home this season, leading at half-time in five of their six victories in such fixtures. Molde/Molde in the HT/FT betting has solid claims therefore, although a value bet could be Molde & BTTS at 2/1 with Betway.