Thursday 07/08/2014, 19:00, Europa League Qualifiers, Rosenborg vs Karabukspor

Rosenborg vs Karabukspor Preview

Rosenborg was nothing short of impressive in the previous Europa League Qualifiers and the fact that they managed to offset a home defeat to Sligo

Rovers is their best accomplishment. Nevertheless, the recent games were far from satisfying, with the team losing twice in a bit over one week. They will play against a squad who has virtually no experience in European competitions, but one that managed to keep a clean sheet in the first leg played in Turkey.

Rosenborg vs Karabukspor Odds

At Ladbrokes

Rosenborg 1.85, Draw 3.50, Karabukspor 5.50

Rosenborg vs Karabukspor Tips

Karabukspor is playing for the first time in Europa League and their lack of experience will eventually come back to bite them, but so far they seem to be on the right track. Despite not playing too many games recently, they are in good shape and don't have to worry about injuries or fatigue.

Manager Kafkas is a big fan of defensive strategies and he will once again use a single striker against the Norwegians, with Ozek being the most likely candidate. Over the last 10 games, the Turkish side recorded a staggering number of draws and scoreless ones were quite frequent. Tonight they will need more than a scoreless draw to advance to the next stage, so their objective will be to score at least once and then shift back into a defensive formation.

Rosenborg has the players to demolish this defensive, but in order to succeed the hosts will need to field three strikers. This was the strategy of choice for the former champions during the first half of the season, but apparently fatigue caught up with them. They decided to use just two strikers over the last week and the results were disappointing, with the team allowing seven goals while scoring just twice.

Losing on the road at Molde and Stabaek is not exactly a shock, but the fact that Rosenborg didn't stand a chance at any point was particularly frustrating. Soderlund and Riski will start tonight and they will be joined by Mikkelsen, who played the most Tippeligaen fixtures this season and scored twice.

Key Facts

• Not surprisingly, this is the first time that the two teams meet in an official game, but Rosenborg has plenty of experience in European competitions.
• Karabukspor played just one match since the regular season concluded, which means that they are yet to find the perfect starting formation for decisive games.

Rosenborg vs Karabukspor Prediction

Odds of 1.85 for the hosts to prevail in regulation time are not particularly impressive, but they clearly reflect the difference in value between the two teams. As long as they don't sink below this value, punters would have a lot to gain by backing Rosenborg at full stakes to prevail, with Ladbrokes offering the best odds.

Bet: Rosenborg @ 1.85 with Ladbrokes