HamKam will be looking to pull clear of the danger zone and move into the top half of the table when they play host to Viking FK in round 17 of the Norwegian Eliteserien on Sunday.
Having won five of their last six matches in all competitions, De morkebla journey to the Briskeby Stadion as one of the most in-form sides in the division and will look to keep the juggernaut rolling this weekend.
Match preview
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HamKam came crashing back down to earth in their push from the danger zone as they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Fredrikstad at the Briskeby Stadion a fortnight ago.
Jakob Michelsen's men failed to make their chances count as Stian Stray Molde broke the deadlock with a smart header shortly after the hour mark to hand the Aristokratene their seventh league win of the campaign.
Prior to that, HamKam were on a four-game unbeaten run across all competitions, including league victories over Sandefjord and Odd BK either side of a goalless draw against Tromso on July 7.
The loss to Fredrikstad further highlights the Kamma's struggles on home turf, where they have now failed to win six of their seven league games this season, claiming just five points from a possible 21 — the joint-fewest tally in the division.
With 17 points from 16 matches, HamKam are currently 13th in the Eliteserien standings, level on points with Haugesund and Odd in the drop zone, but could move level with seventh-placed Lillestrom with all three points this weekend.
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Viking, on the other hand, ensured that they remain within touching distance of league leaders Bodo/Glimt as they picked up a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Molde when the two sides squared off last Sunday.
Molde were made to rue their wasteful display in front of goal at the Viking Stadion as experienced full-back Sondre Flem Bjorshol finished off a well-worked team goal in the 47th minute to hand the hosts a narrow victory.
Head coach Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim will be delighted by the positive response shown by his side as they suffered a somewhat disappointing 1-0 loss against Haugesund one week earlier — a result which saw their seven-game unbeaten run across all competitions come to an end.
With last weekend's result, Viking have now won nine of their 16 Eliteserien matches while losing three and claiming four draws to collect 31 points and sit second in the standings, six points behind league leaders Bodo/Glimt, albeit with one game in hand.
De morkebla will be backing themselves to continue from where they left off against Molde this weekend as they take on an opposing side against whom they are unbeaten in seven of their last nine encounters, picking up six wins and one draw since April 2008.
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Team News
![Viking forward Lars-Jorgen Salvesen in action on April 14, 2024 [IMAGO]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/26/lars-jorgen-salvesen.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Viking forward Lars-Jorgen Salvesen in action on April 14, 2024 [IMAGO]")
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HamKam remain without the services of 21-year-old defender Halvor Opsahl, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after picking up a severe injury in March.
Barring any late fitness issues, Opsahl remains the only guaranteed absentee for the hosts, who will most likely name a similar starting side that were beaten by Fredrikstad last time out.
As for this weekend's visitors, Aarsheim will be unable to name Australian defender Franco Lino, who has been out of action since coming off with a severe injury back in May.
Fellow countryman Nicholas D'Agostino has missed each of the last three games through a thigh problem and the 26-year-old forward is also out of contention for Viking.
Norwegian striker Lars-Jorgen Salvesen is also set to sit out his third straight game after coming off with a knee injury in the first half of the game against Kristiansund on June 13.
HamKam possible starting lineup:
Sandberg; Norheim, Mares, Sjolstad; Nilsen, Soras, Simenstad, Onsrud, Kongsro; Odegard, Udahl
Viking FK possible starting lineup:
Ostbo; Bjorshol, Langas, Stensness, Urbancic; Tangen, Saetherbo; Svendsen, Kvia-Egeskog, Tripic; Christiansen
We say: HamKam 0-2 Viking FK
While HamKam will be looking to bounce back from their defeat against Fredrikstad, they are in for a tough 90 minutes against a well-drilled Viking side who are unbeaten in eight of their last nine games since May. Given HamKam's record in this fixture and their current form on home turf, we are tipping Viking to come away with all three points this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
