Sarpsborg vs Stabaek Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Sarpsborg have climbed in to the top four in the Eliteserien, as they look to repeat their third place finish from 2017. They’ve been gradually improving in recent years, after two appearances in the cup final in the last three years, they’re looking for silverware. Pushing on in the league is going to be difficult, with Brann and Rosenborg kicking on at the top. However, the top two faced each other this weekend, so there’s a chance for Sarpsborg to kick on with three points on Monday night.

They host Stabaek, who are hovering just above the drop zone in the top flight. They’re only a point ahead of the bottom three, and there’s going to be concerns after this slow start. Their ninth placed finish last year is something they’re out to better, and there were shoots of recovery with a 2-1 victory at home to Odd last time out. However, things could be tougher this time around, as they’re facing a difficult trip.

The hosts are coming off the back of a three game winning run, after putting four goals past IK Start in their last home game. Given that their opponents have conceded two goals per game on the road this season, we could see another comfortable win for Sarpsborg this week. The visitors have lost their last three games on the road without scoring a goal, and they head to a Sarpsborg outfit who have built their strong Eliteserien campaigns with great home form.

The home side are unbeaten in 16 of their last 17 league outings at this ground, while they’ve kept a clean sheet in six of their last eight matches here. Meanwhile, Stabaek have one win from their last 14 away trips, which dates back to July of last year. They are going to be short of confidence ahead of this trip, and we fully expect that the gulf between them in the table will show in the final score here.

Sarpsborg have a strong home defensive record – having let in just 0.67 goals per game at this ground – and they’ve got enough going forward against a Stabaek side who are without a clean sheet all season. We think the hosts are generously priced given the respective form of these two sides, so we have to go with a Sarpsborg victory in this game. After four clean sheets in six at home, averaging 1.83 goals per game, we see a 2-0 home victory as the most likely scoreline in this one too.