Sunday 26/07/2014, 18:00, Norway Tippeligaen, Round 17, Bodo Glimt vs Sarpsborg

Bodo Glimt vs Sarpsborg Preview

The last two months have been horrendous for Bodo Glimt, who lost 5/6 games and are on a downward trajectory in the Tippeligaen. Tonight they have another opportunity to make amends, as they return home for a match against Sarpsborg, which is not exactly the best traveling team in the Norwegian first flight. Nevertheless the visitors succeeded in maintaining their invincibility over exactly one month, including a narrow margin victory over Start in the Cup match.

Bodo Glimt vs Sarpsborg Odds

At Bet365

Bodo Glimt 1.90, Draw 3.60, Sarpsborg 3.70

Bodo Glimt vs Sarpsborg Tips

Sarpsborg is the only team in the Norwegian championship without a victory on the road, besides last placed Sandness. This is not the only similarity between the two squads, with both of them scoring just five goals while allowing 19 on the road. The numbers speak for themselves, but the visitors find solace in the fact that they've earned one point in the last round against Lillestrom.

Exactly one month before that draw, they were also held scoreless on the road and Haugesund, but back then they allowed four goals. In between, the team played some offensive football and with a great deal of luck, managed to win all three games, albeit all victories came by a single goal.

The last match against Aalesund appeared to be heading in the right direction, with the hosts scoring three unanswered goals, but the visitors rebounded and scored twice in the last minutes. Now that they don't have home pitch advantage, Sarpsborg will have no choice but to use a single striker, most likely Djedje.

By comparison, the hosts have far more options upfront but they also need to be more careful, after allowing an average of two goals per match in the last six rounds. Laajab and Olsen are both 30-year-old but since they are the most prolific strikers for Bodo Glimt, it is only natural for manager Halvorsten to use them both.

Key Facts

• Sarpsborg just lost its best striker Olanare who was sold to a Chinese team and will not play tonight
• In four games played so far with Bodo Glimt as hosts, they won three times and lost once

Bodo Glimt vs Sarpsborg Prediction

Odds below even value are probably going to make punters think twice about the opportunity of backing the hosts this afternoon. The four-game losing streak might have a deterring effect on their resolve, but against the toothless Sarpsborg, Bodo Glimt really has a chance. 1.90 is as low as one can go when trusting a reeling team, but even so it is worth taking a leap of faith with the hosts.

Bet: Bodo Glimt @ 1.90 with Bet365