Rosenborg vs Linfield Predictions

Going to Northern Ireland was a potentially tricky task for the Scandinavians, though Rosenborg got the desired result and are thus in a strong position. Having won the first leg by two goals to nil, Wednesday’s hosts are now huge favourites to advance.

It was all very straightforward for Rosenborg last week; they dominated the game in terms of possession from start to finish; they were allowed to create attacking opportunities without really having to get out of second gear, they rarely came under pressure defensively, while the result was never in doubt once they took the lead after 22 minutes.

Having scored twice, conceded none, created 1.12 expected goals for and conceded only 0.2 in the first leg, the Norwegian giants will fancy themselves to make light work of finishing this one off on Wednesday evening.

As for the visitors, it’s hard to put a positive spin on what Linfield did in the first leg. Despite playing in front of a home crowd, the Northern Irish side failed to get involved offensively, as they clocked just 0.2 expected goals for and registered just five shots, only one of which troubled the opposition keeper. Unless they improve considerably it’s going to be another miserable evening for David Healy’s men.

To be completely honest, after outclassing their opponents without ever really stepping it up last week, the hosts are impossible to oppose, though backing them to simply come out on top represents little value at the current prices. Instead, ‘Rosenborg to Win & Under 3.5 Goals’ appeals.

For all Rosenborg have already proved that they’ve got the quality to beat a limited Linfield side, their efforts last week didn’t exactly point towards a thrashing at Lerkendal stadion. They were in control from start to finish, but they didn’t exactly go mad in terms of chances created, and what with the aggregate score-line the way that it is and with the visitors not capable of offering much going forward, backing the Norwegians to win without fully extending themselves is the best option.