Saturday 02/08/2014, 19:00, Norway Tippeligaen, Round 18, Viking vs Valerenga

Viking vs Valerenga Preview

Valerenga used to be one of the better teams in the Norwegian first flight but the slow season start greatly diminished their chances of winning the trophy this season. The team is clearly on the mend and the reason for why they managed to stage an impressive comeback in the last two months has to do with their offensive prowess. They will need to keep up the tempo if they are to defeat of the best defenses in Tippeligaen, tonight when they travel to Viking.

Viking vs Valerenga Odds

At Bet365

Viking 1.75, Draw 4.00, Valerenga 4.20

Viking vs Valerenga Tips

Valerenga lost consecutive games in the final week of June, but they were invincible in July and managed to score at least two goals in each of those games. Before that, they came painfully close of winning against Odd in the Norwegian cup but even though they were eliminated from the competition, they didn't disappoint their fans.

Against both Odd and Rosenborg, Valerenga allowed early goals and then had to fight an uphill battle but they managed to tie the score each time. Apparently they learned the lesson because in the most recent games they came out firing on all cylinders and took their opponents by surprise and won all six points.

Kjartansson is by far their most prolific striker with 15 goals this season, the best performance of all strikers in Tippeligaen. Not surprising, he scored in each of the recent victories, but the player to watch for tonight is midfielder Zahid. The 19 years old scored twice in less than a week and he is a real threat for the stiff defensive of Viking, particularly on counterattacks.

The hosts are indeed the second best defensive team in the Norwegian championship, but their inability to score goals is almost chronic. They were held scoreless in three consecutive games and barely found their way to the net in the last round against Brann. Tonight they will run into an aggressive team that doesn't hesitate to use two strikers, even though they play on the road.

Key Facts

• Viking has the advantage if we are to compare the head to head record for the games played at home, but overall the two teams split the points in 37 games.
• Valerenga is the team in better form with a single defeat in the last 15 Tippeligaen rounds

Viking vs Valerenga Prediction

There is tremendous value in backing the visitors tonight, with bold punters entitled to expect a return on investment that is four times the wager. Risk-averse players would be better off taking the Valerenga or Draw double chance wager, at odds above even value with Bet365.

Bet: Valerenga or Draw @ 2.10 with Bet365