Preview:Odense vs Randers - prediction, team news, lineups

Randers have been presented with the opportunity to go top of the Superliga table as they make the trip to Odense on Monday.

With leaders Copenhagen slipping up in their own matchday four outing on Friday, victory here would lift the Horses to the summit, while the hosts look to respond from a heavy defeat in their previous match.

Match preview

For a side that closed the previous campaign on a poor note with three straight defeats, Randers’ strong opening to the new season might come as a surprise, especially after losing the last two of their five summer friendlies (W3).

Rasmus Bertelsen’s men began the campaign with a 1-1 draw away to Vejle but have since posted back-to-back wins, claiming a 2-1 triumph at Aarhus followed by a narrow 1-0 success over Silkeborg.

A 20th-minute penalty from Mohamed Toure sealed the victory at Cepheus Park, moving RFC into second place in the standings.

Now just two points behind Copenhagen, who lost their gameweek clash with AGF, Randers could move to the summit on Monday, although their record in this fixture is far from encouraging.

Hestene have not won any of their last six competitive meetings with Odense (D4, L2), the most recent being a 2-0 defeat at Nature Energy Park, while their summer friendly encounter also ended in the same scoreline.

Although OB have had the upper hand in this fixture, they are second best to Randers in terms of current form, with a record of one win, one draw and one defeat in the league so far.

Alexander Zorniger’s side began the 2025-26 Superliga season with four points from their opening two matches, battling to a 3-3 draw at Midtjylland before beating Viborg 3-1.

However, the Striped were brought crashing back to earth last time out, suffering a 4-0 loss at Vejle in what proved a stark reminder of the demands of the top flight.

Having only returned to the first tier this season after a year in the lower division, Odense may sit eighth for now, but there is clear urgency to secure early points to keep themselves in the upper half and avoid another relegation scrap, so the hosts will have their sights set on winning on Monday.

Odense Danish Superliga form:

Odense form (all competitions):

Randers Danish Superliga form:

Randers form (all competitions):

Team News

Odense have a couple of injury concerns, with goalkeeper Viljar Myhra sidelined by a heart issue, while midfielder Jakob Bonde is ruled out with a knee problem.

The hosts will look to Noah Ganaus for inspiration in attack, with the German leading their scoring charts this season with two goals in three matches.

Bertelsen could name an unchanged Randers XI for the third match running as it continues to yield results, with Norman Campbell and Toure linking up in attack and Mathias Greve and Elies Mahmoud operating from the flanks.

As in their last outing, the visitors will be without 30-year-old goalkeeper Paul Izzo and defender Oliver Jones as they recover from hip and knee injuries, respectively.

Odense possible starting lineup:

Hansen; Burgy, Paulsen, Gomez, Owusu; McCoy, Grubbe, R Jensen, Ejdum; Ganaus, Grot

Randers possible starting lineup:

Storch; Olsen, Hoegh, Dammers, Dyhr; Pedersen, Bjorkengren; Mahmoud, Campbell, Greve; Toure

We say: Odense 2-2 Randers

With four of the last six competitive meetings between these sides ending level, a stalemate would not be surprising here, especially as Odense can draw on home advantage even if Randers have the stronger momentum.

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