August 13, 2016

Tippeligaen Asian Handicap Betting Preview – Sunday 14th August by @meatmansoccer

Aalesund v Molde

AFK surprised everyone by beating Tromso 2-1 away from home last week. They rode their luck a bit in the second half but their produced an excellent first 45 mins to get themselves ahead. Aalesund haven’t had the greatest of seasons, but back to back wins will surely have improved confidence within the squad. It was noticeable how much more relaxed and free the players seemed and they were able to impose themselves on the game. AFK are still inside the relegation zone and their position is fragile, but maybe they can continue their good run here. The attacking trio of Boli, Gyasi & Mos have been linking up together well and you’d think they will create quite a few chances against this porous Molde defence.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men were another team who claimed a much needed victory last week. They beat Bodo Glimt 3-2 to snap a six game winless streak and ease the pressure on their manager. Solskjaer had promised a more attacking style and he duly delivered on that as Molde looked much more threatening in the final third. Everyone knows that MFK have defensive issues. Half of that is down to injuries, but the balance of the side hasn’t been right. Right back has been a nightmare for them during the whole of 2016 and they’ve attempted to fix that problem by signing Christopher Remmer from Danish club FC Copenhagen. Whether or not he can provide the instant upgrade they need their remains to be seen. Molde will likely remain dodgy at the back but can take a lot of confidence from how much more dangerous their offense looked last week.

Molde are nearly odds-on in places to win this match and I don’t know how anyone could seriously consider backing them at that price considering how poor their away statistics are this season. Only four teams in the entire league have a worse road record than MFK in 2016 and they head into this contest having lost their last four consecutive away games. They are nowhere near as confident in these sort of fixtures, although it doesn’t mean they can’t win today. I still think Aalesund could be a very fragile side if you manage to put them under pressure. I’m not really sure how Tromso didn’t score against them in the second half last week, a number of big chances were created. I think this will be a really open game of football, capable of going either way. It’s likely to be end to end, full of chances. The obvious pick is over 3 goals. I think at worst this bet will result in a push. With both offenses in better shape of late, coupled with a lot of dodgy defending, I’d say there’s a strong chance of 4+ goals being netted.

Asian Handicap Betting Recommendation: Over 3 goals at 1.89

Stromsgodset v Start

SIF have gone off colour in the last few weeks, failing to win any of their last three games. They weren’t helped by a hectic schedule which included a lot of Europa League matches and it seems like any momentum they had has been halted. However, now is an ideal chance to get back to winning ways facing the worst team in the league. Godset are an incredibly powerful home force, winning 8 out of 10 at Marienlyst Stadion, drawing the other two. SIF are a completely different force in front of their own fans and are usually constantly on the front foot. Guys like Pedersen, Keita & Abu have all drifted off form a bit in recent weeks. The offense needs to get back on track after drawing blanks in 2 of their last 3 games. There’s absolutely no excuse here though.

The misery of Start continues. They actually led until nearly the hour mark last week against Odd, but eventually fell to another defeat (1-2). Start weren’t that bad in the game but typically for them, they found a way to lose. Their situation is hopeless, 12 points adrift of safety and the OBOS-Ligaen is beckoning for them next season. All that’s left to play for now is pride, which could lead to some relaxed performances. I don’t think Start will be afraid of anyone at the moment and will probably come here with positive intentions. But when all is effectively lost, it’s difficult to retain intensity & motivation sometimes. Should they fall behind then it’s hard to see them having too much fight left. They haven’t won a Tippeligaen match for well over a year, but it’d be a massive shock if they ended that run in this game.

Godset have struggled of late but this is the perfect opportunity to bounce back. I fully expect them to dominate right from the off and ultimately claim an easy win. Because they haven’t won in three games I can’t see them getting complacent or anything. SIF are one of the best home teams in the league and I’d be surprised if Start got anywhere close. The visitors should at least be proactive though and might get on the scoresheet. There are two picks I like for this game. The first is Godset -1.5 and this is fairly self explanatory. They’ll win the game, it’s just a question of by how many. If Start can stay within one goal then it’d be annoying, but logically this should be a victory by at least a 2 or 3 goal margin. I also like backing over 3 goals in the game. Godset are capable of covering this line on their own but I think Start could score and contribute towards this bet. Something like 3-1 or 4-1 is my expected outcome and both bets look decent options.

Asian Handicap Betting Recommendation: Stromsgodset -1.5 at 1.91 & Over 3 goals at 1.75

Prices correct at time of writing.

By @meatmansoccer.

Eastbridge Soccer Betting Broker, best prices on Football and now UK licensed!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *