Sunday 26/07/2014, 18:00, Norway Tippeligaen, Round 17, Haugesund vs Start

Haugesund vs Start Preview

Start failed to keep a clean sheet in any of the last six games, but much to their credit, they succeeded in scoring one more goal than their opponents. What resulted was a string of three consecutive wins that lifted them above the relegation area and they now have a seven points cushion over Haugesund. Tonight they have the opportunity to expand their advantage to 10 points, which would virtually ensure the fact that they will be playing in the Norwegian first league for at least one more season.

Haugesund vs Start Odds

At Bet365

Haugesund 2.10, Draw 3.40, Start 3.40

Haugesund vs Start Tips

Start played a couple of difficult matches in the final weeks of June, but were lucky to be pit against teams that sit below them in the Tippeligaen. They made the most of home pitch advantage and proved that their favorite status was justified, by scoring a total of seven goals in the last three games.

Manager Mjelde's decision to rotate his four strikers proved to be an inspired one, because each of them scored over that span. A beneficial side effect of this rotation is that none of them suffered injuries and fatigue is not an issue, with the only question being which two forwards to use tonight.

Vihjalmsson and Asante are strong candidates, with the latter scoring the decisive goal last week in the final minute of overtime, while the former scored twice away at Sandnes. The visitors are also lucky to play against an opponent that had a busy schedule this month, with seven games in three weeks.

Haugesund is not the team to brag about a lot of depth in their squad and the fact that they had to play four Europa League qualifiers in addition to domestic championship games, took its toll. Furthermore, the Norwegian side was recently eliminated from the competition after winning the first leg by a narrow margin. They allowed three goals from Sarajevo in front of their fans and were sent home packing.

Key Facts

• Start is in great form, not only because they won 3 consecutive games, but for scoring 17 goals in the last seven games.
• Haugesund won four games in a row against Start, but lost the most recent confrontation 3 months ago

Haugesund vs Start Prediction

There is plenty of value in the odds offered by bookmakers for the visiting team to emerge victorious. Risk-averse punters who are reluctant to back Start at full stakes will appreciate odds of 1.75 for the visitors to win with the cover of a 0:0 Asian handicap. If the match ends undecided, the stakes are returned, so the only way to lose is for the hosts to emerge victorious.

Bet: Start or Draw @ 1.75 with Bet365