Sunday 20/07/2014, 19:00, Norway Tippeligaen, Round 16, Odd vs Haugesund

Odd vs Haugesund Preview

Despite their miserable performance in 2014, Haugesund is playing in the Europa League qualifiers due to the 2013 results. Their continental campaign took off after winning the double legged round against Airbus and the Norwegian side reported a surprising victory at Sarajevo. Tonight they take on the hottest team in Tippeligaen and it is very likely that their winning streak will come to an end.

Odd vs Haugesund Odds

At Bet365

Odd 1.45, Draw 4.20, Haugesund 7.75

Odd vs Haugesund Tips

Haugesund struggled against Airbus, despite the fact that this was one of the weakest teams of all those playing in the qualifiers. What mattered most at the end of the day was that the Norwegian side advanced to the next stage, where they exceeded expectations by winning on the road.

In the domestic championship however, they won a single match away from home while losing five and this doesn't bode well ahead of the game with Odd. The last Tippeligaen match was a roller coaster for Haugesund who scored three times but allowed five games at Rosenborg. Manager Grindhaug will try to avoid that by fielding a defensive formation, with Gytkaer being the only striker.

Odd will need to pay attention to this offensive footballer as he scored 7 goals this season, but they have the players capable of containing the threat he poses. On the other hand, they don't have to worry about scoring goals as the team was surprisingly prolific of late, having scored a combined 8 in the last 3 games.

Rashani and Johnsen will pair up front once again, with the latter being the eldest striker in the Norwegian first flight. He scored a total of two goals, both of them in the cup match against Valerenga despite recently turning 40 years old. He is not expected to play for more than a half, but even so, Odd will benefit from the offensive output of formidable midfielders, led by Samuelssen.

Key Facts

• Odd is invincible in the last nine games and won seven of those matches, while keeping a clean sheet in five of them.
• The head to head record clearly favors the hosts, who won five of the seven direct games, including the last four matches.

Odd vs Haugesund Prediction

Odd desperately needs all three points tonight the stay within striking distance of leading Molde and can even hope to overtake runner-up Stromsgodset. Since the odds for a straight victory are too low to be considered a worthy choice, punters should take a leap of faith with the hosts and trust them to cover the -1.5 goals spread at 2.20.

Bet: Odd -1.5 goals @ 2.20 with Bet365