Norrkoping vs Rosenborg
Champions League Qualifying
Norrkoping of Sweden take on a fellow Nordic football club in Rosenborg from Norway on Wednesday evening, with Rosenborg holding a crucial 3-1 advantage from their home leg last week. We think Rosenborg will not just roll over in this game and that it will be a close encounter with our match predictions showing that.
Norrkoping are currently the 2nd most consistent and dominating team in the Swedish Allsvenskan league behind Malmo. This is the 1st shot at Champions League qualification and didn’t make the ideal start to their campaign last week in Norway. However, their domestic form at home is one to be envied – 7 games, 5 wins and 2 draws, making them undefeated in the league. But this is a different test for them, with a highly rated Rosenborg stopping them in their tracks.
Last week was a demolition job well done, with Rosenborg firmly brusing Norrkoping aside with the 3-1 victory at the Lerkendal Stadion. No goals came in the 1st half, but Kåre Ingebrigtsen must have given the half time team talk of his life as Rosenborg came out firing all cylinders to go 3-0 up within 20mins of the restart. At 3-0, Rosenborg were cruising but a lapse of concentration at the back allowed Sebastien Andersson to find the net for Norrkoping, reducing the aggregate deficit to 2 goals and allowing the Swedish team a consolation goal and glimmer of hope going into the return leg.
At home, Norrkoping score 2.86 goals per game on average, conceding exactly 1.00 goal. Rosenborg score few goals away with an average of 1.12 goals score per match but concede very few at 0.62. I believe both teams will find the net in this one, but I am expecting a low scoring game.
This all Scandinavian affair got off to an exciting start as the first leg produced four goals, all of which arrived in the second half. Norrkoping have a real uphill task on their hands this week, but having scored one away goal there are still well in this tie. The hosts need at least a 2-0 win to counteract that 3-1 first leg defeat, and the Swedish champions are more than capable of pulling off such a result. The visitors Rosenborg look set to reclaim their title in the Norwegian league, having already amassed a four point lead over nearest rivals Odd. This trip to Sweden is going to be difficult, but that 3-1 advantage means the visitors don’t need to push for a goal and might even employ a counter attacking system in order to sneak the one away goal that will probably confirm their place in the next round. Rosenborg aren’t a team that usually suffers heavy defeats, but the bookies see this match as fairly even with a home win priced at 7/4, a draw 5/2 and an away win at 13/10 (SkyBet odds), so there is money to be made from this match.
HEAD TO HEAD
Rosenborg and Norrkoping had never played each other before last weeks first leg, and their debut match didn’t disappoint. The first half felt very edgy as each side felt the other out, and before they new it the half time whistle had blown. Both teams came out much more determined in the second period and it took just three minutes for Eyjólfsson to open the scoring for the hosts. A second followed shortly after the hour mark via Helland as Rosenborg took complete control of the game, and just three minutes after that de Lanlay appeared to have confirmed the hosts place in the next round as he made it 3-0. Norrkoping needed to respond and that they did, when just five minutes after conceding that third goal Andersson popped up to score what could be a vital away goal.
Norrkoping vs Rosenborg Live Stream, Preview and Prediction Europe Champions League 2016
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Europe Champions League
