Looking to secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season, Lillestrom will welcome top-flight newcomers KFUM Oslo to Arasen Stadion on Thursday night in the Norwegian Eliteserien.
The Canaries are coming back into action following the summer pause aiming to build on a narrow success over Tromso, whilst Kaffa will be striving to turn a string of draws into maximum points.
Match preview
Since earning promotion to the top tier of Norwegian football in 2020, Lillestrom have finished inside the top six of the Eliteserien for the past three years, but that run of positive placements is under serious threat following a stuttering start to their 2024 campaign.
The Canaries are currently languishing in 11th position in the top-flight standings, four points behind sixth-placed Stromsgodset after winning just four of their opening 11 contests, losing six and conceding 19 goals in the process, with Mads Christiansen keeping only two clean sheets.
Despite the disappointment in overall performances since the beginning of the season, Lillestrom enjoyed a trip to newly-promoted Tromso prior to the summer break on June 2, when a second-half strike from veteran forward Thomas Lehne Olsen was ultimately enough to see the visitors run out 2-1 victors.
Having made the net ripple on five occasions during 10 Eliteserien matches so far in 2024, 32-year-old Lehne Olsen has already matched his goalscoring tally in the division from 2022, and the one-time Norway international will be looking to get close to the 27 strikes he managed during a prolific 2021 term.
Much of the Canaries struggles at the beginning of this campaign can be attributed to their woeful form at Arasen Stadion, with Andreas Georgsson's troops collecting just one point from five home games in the Eliteserien so far, fewer than any other side in the top flight.
After finishing second in the second tier of Norwegian football in 2023 and earning automatic promotion to the top flight, KFUM Oslo are making abundantly clear that they are not just in the Eliteserien to make up the numbers, with Thursday's visitors on track for a top-half finish.
Before the summer pause, Kaffa extended their unbeaten run in the division to four matches on June 2, when goals from Mor Ndiaye, Haitam Aleesami and Simen Hestnes were enough to secure a share of the spoils against bottom side Sandefjord at KFUM Arena in the capital.
Following the first 11 games of their Eliteserien schedule, KFUM are sitting pretty in seventh position in the top-flight standings, having tasted defeat on two occasions so far in 2024, with only current league leaders Bodo/Glimt losing fewer times in the division to date.
Strangely, Johannes Moesgaard's side are winless at their Oslo base but unbeaten on their Eliteserien travels, with this week's visitors to Lillestrom collecting 11 points from five outings since their return to the elite table of Norwegian club football.
Taking charge of Kaffa at the beginning of 2023 and guiding his troops to promotion at the first attempt, 40-year-old Moesgaard has quickly established himself as a hero for KFUM, losing just nine of his 49 competitive matches at the helm in 18 months.
Team News
Lillestrom are preparing to be without the services of Lars Ranger for the remainder of the season, with the 25-year-old picking up a cruciate ligament injury in March.
The Canaries will also be short of options in defence on Thursday due to the absence of Martin Roseth, who sustained a foot issue at the end of May.
Lillestrom are yet to see Mathis Bolly in attack this season, with the 33-year-old Ivorian still recovering from a knock picked up earlier in the year.
Mathias Tonnessen was a shining light in the second tier for KFUM last term, but a knee injury will prevent him from featuring in the Eliteserien until around November.
Lillestrom possible starting lineup:
Christiansen; Larsson, Garnas, Gabrielsen, Tonnessen; Ibrahimaj, Lundemo, Asen; Lucky, Va, Lehne Olsen
KFUM Oslo possible starting lineup:
Odegaard; A. Aleesami, Nije, H. Aleesami; Nouri, Rasch, Hestnes, Gyedu; Haltvik, Dahl, Hummelvoll-Nunez
We say: Lillestrom 1-2 KFUM Oslo
Having failed to earn a win on home soil this season, Lillestrom will not be full of confidence ahead of Thursday's visit of KFUM.
Kaffa have done exceptionally well at the beginning of this season, and we feel that they will record another positive result in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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