Preview: Fredrikstad vs Sandefjord - prediction, team news, lineups

Desperate to halt a concerning losing run, Fredrikstad welcome fellow strugglers Sandefjord to Nye Fredrikstad Stadion for a Norwegian Eliteserien clash on Saturday afternoon.

Aristokratene suffered a heavy defeat at the base of Rosenborg last time out, whilst Guttane were dispatched on home soil by the trendsetters of Norwegian club football.

Match preview

Following respectable sixth and eighth-placed finishes in the Eliteserien since their title-winning second-tier campaign of 2023, Fredrikstad are now in danger of being dragged into relegation trouble this year.

Since returning from the summer break, Aristokratene have recorded three consecutive losses without finding the net, with midtable dwellers Rosenborg the latest side to collect three points against Casper Rojkjaer's men.

After winning just two of their past 11 top-flight contests, Fredrikstad have slumped down to 12th position in the Eliteserien standings, only two points above Kristiansund and KFUM in 14th and 15th spots respectively.

A source of cautious optimism for those of an Aristokratene persuasion amidst the doom and gloom, those pair of recent victories both arrived on home soil, where Saturday's hosts defeated HamKam and Start in May.

As highlighted by Daniel Eid, Oskar Ohlenschlaeger and Rocco Shein leading the club's goalscoring charts with just two strikes each, Fredrikstad (15) have issues at the top end of the pitch, with only Sandefjord (13) and Kristiansund (12) netting fewer Elitserien goals so far.

© Imago

Outdoing Fredrikstad's three-game winless run, Sandefjord are the only side in the Eliteserien who have failed to win any of their past six matches (D2 L4), with Saturday's visitors dropping rapidly towards bottom-three trouble.

For the first time in that terrible sequence, Guttane were unable to find the net last weekend at Jotun Arena, where goals from Ola Brynhildsen, Jens Petter Hauge and Mikkel Bro secured a 3-0 triumph for current champions and league leaders Bodo/Glimt.

Last tasting success on May 10 on home soil versus second-tier bound Kristiansund, Andreas Tegstrom's troops have dropped to 11th spot in the Eliteserien table, one point above this weekend's hosts.

After winning back-to-back matches on the road at KFUM and Brann in April, Sandefjord have lost four consecutive away games by an aggregate scoreline of 10-4, providing little reason for optimism this weekend.

To make matters worse, Guttane possess a woeful record in recent Eliteserien matches against Fredrikstad, who are unbeaten across each of their past five top-flight meetings (W3 D2) stretching back to April 2024.

Fredrikstad Norwegian Eliteserien form:

Sandefjord Norwegian Eliteserien form:

Team News

© Imago

Fredrikstad are sweating over the fitness of midfielder Samuel Leach Holm, who has not played since before the summer break due to a knock.

Into his third full campaign with Aristokratene, Sigurd Kvile is now sidelined for the remainder of the year because of a serious knee injury.

The hosts' options further up the field are also limited as left midfielder Sondre Sorlokk recovers from a foot problem.

Sandefjord have been less impacted on the fitness front this year but are awaiting the return of Filip Loftesnes-Bjune from a thigh strain.

At fault for one of Bodo/Glimt's three goals last time out, young defender Rasmus Holten could be taken out of the firing line this weekend.

Fredrikstad possible starting lineup:

Borsheim; Rafn, Holme, Fredriksen; Eid, Ohlenschlaeger, Nilsson, Yrga-Alem; Faraas, Laghzaoui, Skogvold

Sandefjord possible starting lineup:

Hadaya; Pedersen, Krogelien, Lambrix, Hellan; Mork, Patoulidis, Pettersen, Melchior, Berntsen; Moller

We say: Fredrikstad 2-1 Sandefjord

With both teams bang out of form and lacking confidence, Nye Fredrikstad Stadion could play host to a low-quality affair on Saturday afternoon.

However, boasting their stellar recent record against the visitors, we can envisage Fredrikstad picking up a mightily-important maximum by the skin of their teeth.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.