Sunday 20/07/2014, 16:30, Norway Tippeligaen, Round 16, Molde vs Sandnes

Molde vs Sandnes Preview

Leading Molde has recorded another important victory this week, by prevailing against Gorica in the first leg of the Europa league qualifiers. They scored a total of four goals and allowed just one, so it is only fair to say that they booked a seat to the next stage. It definitely helps that the first game scheduled after that victory is against last placed Sandnes, which should give them chance to recuperate their strength ahead of a very difficult week.

Molde vs Sandnes Odds

At Bet365

Molde 1.15, Draw 7.40, Sandnes 13.00

Molde vs Sandnes Tips

After dealing with Sandnes, Molde will travel to Slovenia for the second leg, before taking on Rosenborg in front of their fans. Their opponents are only a shadow of their former selves, but on these occasions, they are very likely to step up their game. The bottom line is that the visitors need to be pragmatic and conserve energy, with the top priority being to avoid unnecessary injuries.

It goes without saying, that Molde will take more chances tonight and stopping points against the last placed team would greatly complicate matters for them. They are yet to lose a game in front of their fans and this month alone they have scored 11 goals while allowing three. Elyounoussi remains their top scorer, but Gulbrandsen and Chima have emerged as worthy alternative if the 19 years old needs to be kept on the bench.

This will probably not be the case tonight, but there is a good chance for manager Skullerud to only use the most prolific striker for one half, after he played a lot this month. Molde expects a defensive minded team, that will desperately try to defend a scoreless draw, which leaves them with enough opportunities to score and dominate the match from one end to the other.

Sandnes have accumulated just 10 points in 15 rounds and as a result they have hit rock bottom, but even so they can still avoid relegation. They can't hope for more than a draw on the road in this fixture and then try to win another valuable three points in front of their fans, against another relegation threatened team.

Key Facts

• Sandnes lost 4/5 recent games in Tippeligaen and scored a single time in the last minutes of the match against Start.
• Molde hasn't lost in the last 19 games and has the best defense in the Norwegian first flight, with just 11 goals conceded in 15 rounds

Molde vs Sandnes Prediction

The visitors are huge underdogs tonight and they will be playing accordingly, defending with all lines and hoping for the best. Molde will certainly take advantage and they are likely to win the match with ease, but there is no value in betting on outright victory. A better choice is to bet on fewer than 3.5 goals to be scored at 1.90 with Bet365.

Bet: Under 3.5 goals @ 1.90 with Bet365