EUROPEAN football fanatic Mark O'Haire (@MarkOHaire) heads to Norway on Sunday night for his latest best bet on the continent.
Stromsgodset v Sarpsborg | Sunday 25th August 2019, 19:00
A frustrating last weekend for the European NAP column with St Etienne failing to pick up maximum points when welcoming newly-promoted Brest in Ligue 1. The scorching heat played it’s part in France, although Les Verts generated enough goalscoring opportunities to get over the line, despite the 1-1 scoreline. We go again, as they say…
There’s a dearth of outstanding betting options from across the continent this weekend, but after searching high and wide, I believe I’ve found a gem from Sunday night in the battle at the bottom of Norway’s Eliteserien. Basement dwellers Stromsgodset welcome fellow strugglers Sarpsborg to the Marienlyst Stadion with goals high on my agenda.
The Eliteserien – 18 rounds deep – has been averaging 2.85 goals per-game this season with Stromsgodset particularly profitable for goals-based backers in own their backyard. Seven of the hosts opening nine outings in Gulskogen have broken the Over 3.5 Goals barrier with almost half of those matches even featuring five or more goals.
Both Teams To Score bets have copped in 58% of Norway’s top-flight tussles this term, and again Stromsgodset have proven consistent producers in the same market when welcoming Eliteserien opposition, with six winning BTTS bets from their nine encounters here. That’s a return that tallies nicely with Sarpsborg’s efforts across the campaign.
The visitors have delivered BTTS pay-outs in 13/18 (72%) league contests already this season – including nine in their last 11 outings, and seven of nine games as guests. Despite their lowly plight, Sarpsborg have scored in all bar three of their fixtures in 2019 with Geir Bakke’s also underperforming according to their Expected Goals (xG) output by five goals.
It’s clear where the duos issues are. No Eliteserien outfit have kept fewer clean sheets than the bottom two clubs with the pair silencing only four sides in a combined 36 games thus far, shipping at least two goals on 20 occasions in that same sample. Such returns strengthen the case for a goal-filled game, as do their respective home/away records.
Including 2018 alongside 2019’s performance, Both Teams To Score has proven profitable in 14/24 (58%) of Stromsgodset’s home contests with 17/24 (71%) of Sarpsborg’s away days following suit. With vital points on offer in the quest for survival, and the hosts desperate for a victory that could life them off the bottom, the ingredients are there for an entertaining encounter on Sunday night.
Best Bets
Stromsgodset v Sarpsborg – Both Teams To Score (3/4 Bet365)
