Mjøndalen and Sarpsborg 08

Last year saw Mjøndalen return to the top flight after three years out, and they managed to survive by one goal to Lillestrøm, thanks in large part to a 1-0 home win against Vålerenga on the final day.

They managed only six wins all campaign, drawing 12 games as they beat pre season expectations of an immediate return to OBOS-ligaen.

This season will be just as tough, with most of the important players hanging around for another season. although young goalkeeper, and likely future Rosenborg number 1, Julian Faye Lund, has returned to Lerkendal after his loan spell last year in Mjøndalen.

Based in Mjøndalen, around 55km away from Oslo to the south west, they play home games in the Consto Arena, with a capacity of 4'350 it is the smallest in Eliteserien.

Last season they won five times at home, and only once on the road, and 2020 the home form again will be crucial if they are to survive another year.

They do have a good core of players at a good age for progression, although their squad is quite small. However, the talismanic figure of Christian Gauseth is 36 this month and he has been a big part of the team for seven years now, so he will be one they have to stop relying on so heavily at some point.

One other player that will be missed this year is Pontus Silfwer, who has returned to Sweden after only 6 months in Mjøndalen, and was an important player for the second half of last season.

Incoming replacements don't look like they will take the league by storm, with defender Markus Nakkim a bit part player at Vålerenga last year joining, as well as some loan returns that might make an impact, including Vamouti Diomande, if he can remain injury free.

Also returning goalkeeper Sosha Makani is a reliable goalkeeper, so should give them a good reliable option between the sticks.

One signing that could have an impact is Lars Olden Larsen from KFUM Oslo. The 21 year old can play midfield or on the wing, managing to score 9 goals last season, helping KFUM to 4th place in OBOS-ligaen.

He looks like a real talent the way he carries the ball forward, and he also can strike a nice ball from distance, as well as being a set piece taker. He could definitely be an important part of the team this year in what will be another tough season.

Key Players

Star man last year Tonny Brochmann ended the season as top scorer with his 8 league goals, and since his arrival in mid 2018 has become crucial for Mjøndalen. The 30 year old Dane plays in midfield, usually slightly more advanced and is very good technically.

Short in stature, but he is confident taking the ball in tight areas and has very quick feet. Also he arrives in the box late, and likes to link up with the striker as well. It was the second time in his career he has scored 8 league goals in the top flight(Stabæk 2017), and this season with likely penalty duties, he could be on for more of the same.

Another key man, and a Mjøndalen legend, is Joackim Olsen Solberg. He played 8 seasons with the club before a couple of years away at Sandefjord, but after rejoining in summer 2018 he quickly became a cornerstone of the team, sometimes at left back, but last season more often in central midfield.

Now 31 he is reaching the twilight of his career, but he is often creating goals, 8 in the league last season, which was not an outlier from his usual. His left foot is accurate from crosses and he is a very accomplished passer in the middle of the park, and a reliable corner taker too.

Mjøndalen will have plenty defending to do, and Dutch centre back, Quint Jansen is probably the stand out in that department. The 29 year old moved to Mjøndalen in 2017, and the last two seasons really made himself a regular part of the team.

Tall and aggressive, he reads the game pretty well and had a nice relationship with Sondre Johansen last season. Both of them should be playing together again, there partnership very important if the club, who haven't played consecutive seasons in the top flight since the turns of the century, are to continue for a third year in 2021.

Prediction - 15th

Sarpsborg 08 are another side that struggled all the way until the final day last year, eventually finishing on the same points as Lillestrøm and Mjøndalen, ending the season with a tense 0-0 away draw at Lillestrøm.

The lowest scorers in the league with only 30 goals, they conceded only 40, showing what type of football you were likely to see from Sarpsborg last season.

Managed last season by Geir Bakke, he has now moved to Lillestrøm and so incoming manager Mikael Stahre will be charged with improving the sides attacking threat so they can move up the league.

His previous job was a relatively poor spell at San Jose Earthquakes, so it will be interesting to see how he gets on at his first Norwegian club. He brings plenty experience for a 44 year old, with spells in China, Greece and USA, as well as his native Sweden.

Sarpsborg play at the Sarpsborg Stadion, situated about an hour south of Oslo down towards the Swedish border. The stadium holds 8'022 and has been there since 1930, although has been redeveloped more recently than that.

There has been quite a lot of turnover at Sarpsborg this year, with there best player from last season, Kristoffer Zachariassen leaving for Rosenborg the most high profile departure.

Matti Lund Nilsen will also be missed after his move to Reggina in Italy, but there has been some interesting people in the door, and also Sarpsborg have some exciting young players that could be set for a break out this year, notably Strand Larsen and Coulibaly.

Last year the Europa League campaign probably didn't help their league form at the start of the season, so without the distraction this year, it could be back to the form of 2018 when they finished 8th, although unlikely to be as lofty as their 3rd place in 2017.

Key Players

At 20 years old, Jørgen Strand Larsen is definitely set for an important season upfront for Sarpsborg. Last year was his first year playing more regularly, but this year he will likely be the main man up front.

The tall striker has excellent hold up play, particularly for his age, but he is also a confident finisher when he gets in the position. Not lightening quick, but quick enough that he can be a threat in behind as well, if he can get a couple early goals this season he could see himself in double figures, and one of the next youngsters on the move to a bigger club.

Centre back Magnar Ødegaard returned to Sarpsborg in summer last year, and immediately made himself the main man at central defense. A former youth at Sarpsborg, he has gone on to have spells with Molde, Lillestrøm, Tromsø and AIK, with mixed success.

Now 27 he has returned to Sarpsborg and will be a big figure in the defense in 2020. He is a leader at the back, aggressive in the tackle, and can also be a threat in attacking set piece situations.

With Sarpsborg perhaps not the most offensive team in the league, he is crucial at both ends in set pieces, and crucial in defending the box.

Another youngster that broke into the first team at the end of last season, and could be set for a big year, is Gaute Høberg Vetti. Maybe he won't play every game, but the young midfielder has big potential. He gets about the pitch very well, is comfortable on the ball and strong too, there is competition for places in the midfield, but he is one to watch this year.

Sarpsborg 08 will be hoping to have a better season than last, although I am not convinced with the managers history, and Zachariassen leaving will be a big loss. I think they might struggle again, although I wouldn't be too surprised if they outperform my prediction.

Prediction 13th

Odd and Start

Odds Ballklubb, formerly known as Odd Grenland, are based in the city of Skien, about two hours south west from Oslo. They play home games in the 12'000 capacity Skagerak Arena, which was built in 1923, but renovated almost completely in 2008.

Last season was a solid season for Odd, finishing 4th in the league, although they had led up until gameweek 13, falling away a little in the Autumn.

It was their home form that was especially strong, going unbeaten all season, only Molde winning more games at home, as they won 12 out of 15 games scoring 31 of their 45 total goals at Skagerak Arena.

This season they will need to improve their away form, but the big issue they have is with star striker, and Eliteserien top scorer from 2019, Torgeir Børven.

Børven, 28, scored 21 league goals last season for the club, a real breakthrough year. He had never previously scored in double figures for any league campaign, so this was a standout year. On the back of it there appears to be interest from Turkey, and with his contract running out in July, it looks like he will be gone before the season really gets going in Norway.

He was so full of confidence in 2019, scoring all types of goals, and was a real threat in the air in particular. How they will replace his goals in 2020 could determine where they end up this season.

They have also lost one of their potential future stars, with Filip Delaveris joining Vitesse in the winter, the 19 year old looking like a very decent prospect from the Odd system.

Replacing those two, who could have combined for a lot of goals this season will be tough.

The other big loss is long time coach Dag-Eilev Fagermo, who has moved to Vålerenga. The 53 year old had been head coach at Odd since 2007, and a real tough act to follow. 

Stepping in to his shoes will be former player and assistant to Fagermo, Jan Frode Nornes. He steps up after being assistant for 12 years, and it will be interesting to see how that works. 

Getting the respect of the players as a manager will be important, and he will have to shape the side into what he wants, if he has his own ideas after so long under Fagermo. 

Key Players

Kosovan international Elba Rashani is a real star in this Odd side. There is interest in the 27 year old winger, but at the moment he remains an Odd player, and they are hoping he is at least there for the 2020 season.

Only three league goals last term wasn't a great return for the winger, although he did chip in with 7 assists. The left footed forward has good close control, is very sharp on the ball and was a good foil for Børven last season. 

Expect Rashani to play a bigger role this season in terms of goalscoring, with Børven leaving he will need to be more prolific than the three last year.

Birk Risa

Another left sided player who had a good season last year was Birk Risa. The 22 year old can play left back or midfield, and his energy up and down that side is something that attracted interest from Rosenborg last season. 

He came through the ranks at FC Koln in Germany, making a couple of appearances in the Bundesliga, before signing for Odd in 2018. A regular for the youth teams of Norway, two good seasons with Odd behind him, he could well be close to the senior team.

He is strong defensively, and also a threat in the opposition box from set pieces. Very comfortable coming forward on his left foot, with another years experience behind him, look for him to be one of the standout left backs in the league.

The man that has been brought in to potentially score some of the goals that Børven will leave behind, is Onyekachi Ugwuadu, or Kachi, as he is known. The 23 year old Nigerian striker scored 10 goals in OBOS last season with Sandnes Ulf, and will be hoping he can step up this time to Eliteserien. 

Quick and strong, he isn't the natural finisher that Børven is, so it will be interesting to see how he is used in the Odd system. I'd be surprised if he became a regular goalscorer at Odd, but he has assets that are often successful in Eliteserien.

Last season Odd won a lot of games by, well, the odd goal. So I think this season they won't be as competitive from the start of the season. With Børven leaving, he might not play before his contract runs out, his goals will be hard to replace.

They still have quality in attacking areas, and lots of experience in defense, so they should finish in the top half again, although a top 4 position is likely to be out of reach this time around, and potentially it could be a tough year for Odd.

Prediction - 8th

IK Start were the final team confirmed in Eliteserien 2020 as they won the playoffs, relegating Lillestrøm. After winning the first leg 2-1, Start found themselves 4-0 behind in Lillestrøm four days later, with 15 minutes to go. A seven minute hattrick from Martin Ramsland turned the tie on its head in an incredible spell, and Start were promoted to the shock of Lillestrøm, and the surprise of everyone watching.

IK Start are based in Kristiansand in the south of Norway and play games at the 14'563 capacity Sør Arena, which opened in 2007. Since then they have been a bit of a yo-yo team, being relegated and promoted the following season four times now.

They have history in the top flight, with two titles in 1978 and 1980, however recently they have struggled to cement their place, and this year will be tough as well, especially with star man from 2019, Aron Sigurdarson, leaving to join Union in Belgium. 

Sigurdarson was top scorer and top assister for Start last season, 13 and 10 respectively. He will be sorely missed, although the rest of the team remains the same from the third best team in OBOS last year.

Icelandic manager Joey Hardarson was in his first season as head coach last year, the former Start midfielder will be tasked with keeping Start in Eliteserien for longer than one year this time around.

Key Players

Jonas Deumeland

Given that Start will be likely at the bottom half of the league, they will be looking to rely on the best goalkeeper in OBOS last year, German, Jonas Deumeland.                                                                                      

The 32 year old keeper has been at Start for two years and has been a consistent shot stopper in that time. 

He has been joined at the club however by 23 year old Amund Wichne. Wichne is one of four quadruplet brothers from Oslo, and joins one them, Eirik, at Start after a spell as number two keeper with Viking. 

Wichne will be looking to push Deumeland for that number one jersey, but the experience of Deumeland will be crucial for Start as they make the step up.

Amund's brother Eirik Wichne has been at the club since 2015, and the young right back has been a regular for four years now. Last season however he really stepped up his consistency, proving to be the best right back in the division.

Quick and very attacking from full back he is a good technical player and is a threat down the right hand side. With over 100 games behind him for Start, he will be looking for another strong season in the top flight this time, and potentially earning himself a move to a bigger club.

Last seasons playoff hero, Martin Ramsland will be the one tasked with scoring the goals to keep Start in the division. His hattrick against Lillestrøm took him to 8 goals in the half season he had at Start in 2019, after his summer move from Sogndal. 

He had missed the whole 2018 season with a groin injury, so it was nice to see him back in the goals in 2019, and Start were happy to take a chance on his goals with a summer move.

His two previous seasons in the top league with Sogndal resulted in 5 and then 7 goals, so he will be looking for double figures with Start. He plays on the shoulder of defenders and his movement his decent. With confidence high after 2019, he could well be on for a strong 2020.

One final name to look out for amongst the goals, is Mathias Bringaker. The 23 year old got 5 goals as a 21 year old in the 2018 season with Start, adding another 7 last year. He could well be a decent option in attack with another years playing time behind him.

In 2018 Start scored only 30 goals, conceding 54 and having the worst goal difference in the league. It's difficult to see that they have improved enough since 2019 to suggest they will be strong enough for Eliteserien. 

There are a number of players around 23-27 years old however that could well step up and improve again, so with games against Strømsgodset and Sandefjord to start the season, before a home game against Molde, we should know more by then.

An interesting development with Start is that agent Stig Lillejord has alligned himself with club, and despite criticism that an agent should not be associated with a club, he is likely to be able to help Start bring in some of his many clients.

If they have a poor start to the season, the 1st July could be interesting to see who Start have lined up to come in, no doubt a few names on Lillejord's books.

Prediction - 14th

Molde and Viking

The Eliteserie, the top level of Norwegian football, begins again for 2020 on 4th April. Aalesund, Sandefjord and Start have been promoted from OBOS-ligaen to join the other 13 teams, replacing Tromsø, Lillestrøm and Ranheim.

I start my preview by looking at defending champions Molde, who ended Rosenborg's four year grip on the league with a convincing title win last season.

Aker Stadion

Champions Molde play their games at Aker Stadion in Molde. A beautiful 11'249 seater stadium right on the waterfront in Molde. 

Before the start of the 2019 season, Molde had their plans interrupted when Ole Gunnar Solskjær was given the Manchester United job. This meant a change of manager, as Erling Moe was promoted from first team coach to take charge of the team as caretaker, before being given the role permanently as the season got under way.

The success of the team was immediate, as they took the league by storm, winning eventually by 14 points, going the whole season unbeaten at home. It was their first title since 2015, and their fourth in total, all coming since 2011. 

Historically Molde have been the nearly men in Norway, consistently finishing in second place behind Rosenborg throughout the 80's and 90's, but now they are showing themselves to be a real challenger to the Trondheim club, thanks mainly to the backing of Norwegian billionaire, and club owner, Kjell Inge Røkke.

They finished last season with the best attack and defense in the league, scoring 72 goals and conceding 31 in the 30 game season. Goals and assists came from all over the park, and with the squad looking largely the same as last season, they will go in as favourites to retain their title.

Key Players - Molde have quality all over the park, and particularly in attacking areas. 

Magnus Wolff Eikrem

Former Manchester United youngster, Magnus Wolff Eikrem, re-signed for Molde after five years away, back in July 2018. Last season he was nominated for the team of the season as he contributed 11 goals and 8 assists in the league. He plays behind the striker in a '4231' system, and has license to roam around the park, often appearing in and around the edge of the box where he scored with some excellent finishes last season.

Molde tend to play with inverted wingers, the left footed Eirik Hestad on the right, and the right footed Ohi Omoijuanfo on the left. 

Hestad was the joint top assister in Norway last season with 11, he also contributed four goals, but there is no doubt he is the more creative of the front three. At 24 years old he has been a big player for Molde the last two years, and he will again play an important role in 2020. 

Omoijunafro was signed from Stabæk last winter, and he had an excellent debut season with 15 goals. He first broke on to the scene as a 17 year old with Lillestrøm in 2011. But it wasn't really until he came back to the Eliteserie with Stabæk that he found his feet at this level. 

A 17 goal season with them in 2017 put him on the radar for bigger clubs, and Molde took a chance a year later and it paid off handsomely last year. The tall Norwegian is quick once he gets going and causes trouble in behind the defenders as well as being a big aerial threat at the back post.

Leke James

Top scorer for Molde last season, in his first full season at the club was Nigerian Leke James. His 17 league goals (24 in total) fired his team to the top of the table, and he benefits greatly from players like Hestad and Eikrem always looking for him running off the shoulder of defenders. 

He is strong and relatively quick, and at 27, this was his best ever goal scoring season. Before a short stint in Beijing, James had been at Aalesund, where he had reached double figures in goals in his three full seasons at this level. So it was no surprise to see him being successful with better players around him at Molde.

One big loss for the club was Ruben Gabrielsen joining Toulouse over the winter. The club captain and central defender ended a six year spell at the club, which leaves a gap in central defense. Eikrem has taken over the captaincy, but it will be interesting to see who takes over in defense. 

Martin Bjørnbak is still there, he played nearly every game in 2019, and they have signed young defender John Kitolano on loan from Wolves. Kitolano is more of a left back, but it is possible he can play left centre back.

There is no doubt Molde go in as favorites for the 2020 season, and with the same attacking foursome that they had last season, they will be good to watch and will score plenty goals.

Prediction - 1st
First Fixture - Vålerenga (a) 4/4/2020

2019 was an excellent year for Viking, as they won the Norwegian Cup for the first time since 2001, the 6th time in their history. 

From the city of Stavanger in the West of Norway, Viking are historically one of the biggest clubs in the country. They have only ever played outside the top flight in three previous seasons, and have won it on eight occasions.

Home games are played at the 15'900 seater, Viking Stadion, which was built in 2004. 

Last season cup success, along with a 5th placed league finish was their best season in many years, and given they haven't won the league since 1982, it is clear a cup success is their best chance of a trophy.

Unfortunately for Viking, their two best players last season have both moved on this winter, and they will have to find new players to get them goals and create chances. 

As mentioned in the previous edition, Kristian Thorstvedt has moved on to Genk, meanwhile Croatian born Norwegian youth international, Zlatko Tripic has earned himself a move to Turkey with Goztepe. 

Tripic was the match winner in the cup final, the winger winning and scoring the penalty in December against Haugesund, while Thorstvedt was the top scorer for the club from midfield.

Replacements have been signed, thanks to the €2m brought in in transfer fees for Tripic and Thorstvedt, but they will be hard to replace.

De Lanlay re-signs for Viking

Key Players - Making his return to the club after five years at Rosenborg, is Yann Erik de Lanlay. The 27 year old Norwegian was a real star of the youth setup at Viking, playing 142 games for the club after breaking through at 17 years old. 

His spell at Rosenborg was mostlry frustrating, seeing him on the bench regularly, throughout his five years in Trondheim. The five time capped international has a point to prove going back to Viking, and he will be one of a number of players that they will look to score the goals they have lost in the winter.

De Lanlay can play on either wing, and will likely be used on the left to replace Tripic. 

On the other side, Kosovan international(capped once), Zymer Bytyqi, will be entering his 6th season with the club. The winger has never been prolific, only 13 goals in 153 appearances, so he will need to step up his output this year. 

Tommy Høiland was the main striker last year for the club, scoring 10 goals, eight of them in the league. He was prolific in the tier below, but has never scored double figures in all his years in the top division. 

Veton Berisha

Høiland is a poacher and gets scrappy goals, but they will be looking to new signing Veton Berisha to be a more consistent scorer. Berisha, brother to Valon, started his top flight career at Viking, playing a total of 107 games. In 2015 he had scored 11 in 14 games, before a summer move to Greuther Feurth in Germany.

He returned to Norway with Brann last season, but a disappointing return of three league goals was not what the side from Bergen were looking for. However, Viking have decided to spend NOK 6.5m (about £500k) to bring him back to Stavanger. 

Ever since 2015 he has never really been in the goals, but I am backing him to find his feet again at Viking and score double figures in the league this season.

The final player to look at is another one time capped Kosovan, Ylldren Ibrahimaj. The 24 year old midfielder played his first full season last year, after a summer 2018 move from Mjøndalen. 
A creative central midfielder, he was joint top of the assist charts last year, and will be the one they look to in midfield to make things happen.

It is a huge blow for Viking to lose their two best players from last season, and the players they have brought in probably don't quite have the same quality. Another cup run, plus Europa League later in the year will be a welcome distraction for the club, but they want to be pushing to get in to the top 4, but I think they will just miss out again.

Prediction - 4th
First Fixture - Strømsgodset (a) 4/4/2020