Aalesund and Odd square off in the Norwegian Eliteserien on Sunday with both clubs looking to boost their survival hopes.
While Odd sit six points clear of the relegation zone having played more games than many of the teams below them, the home side occupy bottom spot in the standings.
Match preview
On the back of last season's fifth-placed finish, there would have been optimism at Odd that they could, at the very least, match that effort in 2023.
Instead, Pal Arne Johansen's side have recorded just four wins from 14 matches and find themselves vulnerable to being pulled into a scrap for survival.
Although they hold a significant advantage above the bottom three, Odd have played more fixtures than all but one of the teams that currently sit below them.
Five defeats have also been posted in their most recent eight outings, including the last two matches where they have lost to FK Haugesund and leaders Bodo/Glimt.
A plus note is possessing the third-best defensive record in the division, yet scoring just 10 goals in 14 encounters effectively cancels out the benefit from their efforts at the back.
From the perspective of Aalesund, they are under pressure to start accumulating points on a regular basis, with the gap to 13th position now standing at four points.
To their credit, the Tangoshirts recently defeated Rosenborg to haul their opponents towards them in the table, while their two victories this season have come in the last six contests.
Nevertheless, Christian Johnsen's team are making a habit of losing favourable positions, either when on course to prevail or earn at least a share of the spoils.
On July 7, Aalesund conceded an 81st-minute goal to lose 2-1 against fellow relegation-threatened outfit HamKam, creating a three-point gap at the bottom of the table.
Team News
Despite the defeat at HamKam, Johnsen is unlikely to make many changes to his Aalesund side, particularly with a nine-day gap between games.
Kasper Lunding made an impact off the substitutes' bench in that fixture and could replace Isaac Atanga on the right flank.
Bjorn Martin Kristensen should retain his spot in the attack despite netting just once from his 12 league outings this campaign.
Odd boss Johansen must decide whether to tinker with the 5-4-1 formation that he used versus the leaders, the likelihood being that he may choose a more attack-minded team.
Much will depend on the options available to him having been depleted last time out, yet Thomas Rekdal may feature in central midfield as a replacement for one of the centre-backs.
Aalesund possible starting lineup:
Grytebust; Kolskogen, Fallman, Anderson, Kitolano; Barmen, Segberg, Karlsbakk; Lunding, Kristensen, Odemarksbakken
Odd possible starting lineup:
Wahlstedt; Ruud, Hagen, Tomas, Baccay; Gjengaar, S. Owusu, L. Owusu, Rekdal; Gjengaar, Midtskogen, Jorgensen
We say: Aalesund 0-1 Odd
Theoretically, a match between the division's two worst attacks should not throw up many goals, and we have no argument to question that logic. If a solitary strike decides this fixture, we expect it to go the visitors.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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