MARTIN Skuggevik Foss (@Skuggz) returns with a beginner’s guide to betting on his local Norwegian Eliteserien.
A betting guide to the Norwegian Eliteserien
Now that all the big European leagues are done and dusted for the season, the focus has shifted to other, smaller, leagues. The leagues that usually start around April and last until November, such as the Norwegian Eliteserien (formerly Tippeligaen).
So how do you bet in the Eliteserien?
For starters, Norway is a large country so a team like Tromso – located in the north – will travel great distances to play teams like Viking, Valerenga and others in the south.
Due to the great distances the teams travel every weekend, the weather can be an important factor. Make sure to check if it’s raining, or even snowing, if the match is played early/late in the season.
3G surfaces
Some sides use astroturf in their stadiums instead of natural grass as the weather might not allow it. This can have great impact on matches giving home teams an advantage.
A team that usually play their matches on natural grass will struggle playing on 3G surfaces, so these factors should also be considered.
The teams that use astro this season are Kristiansund, Molde, Odd, Sarpsborg, Sogndal, Stromsgodset and Aalesund.
Transfers
Seeing as the transfer window is open in the middle of the season, it can have a great impact on some teams and their season.
Big teams with a lot of money (Rosenborg, Molde for example) might bring in a couple of reinforcements to boost their league campaign, while other smaller teams might have to sell their top scorer.
Previously, teams like Lillestrom (Fred Friday) and Valerenga (Vidar Orn Kjartansson) have struggled for goals as their top scorer has left for bigger clubs.
This season Stabaek are outperforming their expectations, much thanks to their top scorer Ohi (Omoijuanfo) who’s scored nine goals (most in the league). Should Stabæk lose him during the summer window they’d might struggle to score so keep an eye on him!
European commitments
Some of the sides might be playing in the Europa League/Champions League in the later stages of the season.
Smaller squads will give you a lot of fatigued players, and that might impact their league-form.
Late bloomer?
The biggest team in Norway, Rosenborg, are struggling a bit this season. Even though they are top of the league many expected them to dominate their matches. This hasn’t happened.
They brought in Nicklas Bendtner from Nottingham Forest before the season, who is yet to make an impact on the league. Their potential and squad is big, so I would expect them to hit some serious form as we go into the second half of the season!
Thanks to @thovesen for assisting me with useful information. Do give him a follow!
