Two sides level on points in the league standings go head to head in round 16 of the Norwegian Eliteserien as Tromso IL play host to Kristiansund at the Alfheim Stadion on Sunday.
Jorgen Vik's men are unbeaten in their last six competitive home games against the Uglan and will be looking to end their run of three straight home defeats this weekend.
Match preview
Tromso picked up a dream start in their hunt for European football as they secured a 1-0 victory over Finish outfit KuPS in the second round of the Europa Conference League qualifiers on Thursday.
Following a goalless first half at the Kuopio Football Stadium, 22-year-old striker Lasse Nordas came up clutch for Tromso as he broke the deadlock nine minutes after the restart to inspire them to a vital first-leg victory.
Vik will hope that the midweek result can serve as a springboard for a fine run of form as his side now return to the Eliteserien, where they have won just two of their last six games while losing three and claiming one draw since the start of June.
One of those two victories came just before their European qualifier as the Gutan edged out a resilient Stromsgodset side 1-0 at the Marienlyst Stadion last Sunday courtesy of a 48th-minute strike from Nordas.
While Tromso will be looking to make it three wins on the spin for the first time since August 2023, they have struggled for results on home turf, losing each of their last three games at the Alfheim Stadion since the start of June.
Kristiansund, on the other hand, were involved in a mid-season friendly with Aalesund last Friday when they fell a 5-2 loss against the second-tier outfit at the Color Line Stadion.
Prior to that, the Uglan saw their three-game unbeaten run in the league come to an end on July 13, when they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Viking at the Viking Stadion courtesy of a second-half brace from Sander Svendsen.
Kristiansund have lost six of their 15 Eliteserien matches so far while claiming four wins and five draws to collect 17 points and sit 10th in the table, level on points with Sunday's hosts.
Next up for Amund Skiri's men is the challenge of taking on a Tromso side against whom they are unbeaten in 12 of their last 15 meetings, claiming six wins and six draws since May 2014.
While Kristiansund will be looking to extend their dominance over Gutan, they have failed to win any of their last nine away matches across all competitions, losing seven and claiming two draws since April's 2-1 victory over third-division side Traeff in the NM Cup.
Team News
Tromso will take to the pitch without the services of 20-year-old midfielder Elias Aarflot, who is yet to feature this year as he continues his recovery from a severe knee injury.
He is joined on the club's injury table by the duo of Finish defender Miika Koskela and 26-year-old forward Vegard Erlien, who are currently recuperating from back and foot injuries respectively.
First-choice goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard has missed the last two games since coming off injured against KFUM Oslo on July 13 and is also out of contention for this weekend's clash.
Kristiansund will have to cope without 21-year-old defender Max Williamsen, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after picking up a cruciate ligament injury against Tromso in April's reverse fixture.
Franklin Nyenetue has missed each of the last four matches since picking up an injury in June and the 23-year-old forward will also play no part in Sunday's tie.
Tromso IL possible starting lineup:
H Jenssen; Barry, Skjaervik, Guddal; Paintsil, Antonsen, Hjerto-Dahl, R Jenssen, Norheim; Romsaas, Nordas
Kristiansund possible starting lineup:
Lansing; Sjatil, Hopmark, Olsen, Rakneberg; Bruseth, Tufekcic, Alte; Sivertsen, Mikaelsson, Isaksen
We say: Tromso IL 2-0 Kristiansund
Buoyed by their victory over KuPS, Tromso will head into the weekend with sky-high confidence as they look to make it three wins on the spin. Kristiansund's form on the road has been nothing to write home about and we are backing Vik's men to come away with the desired result.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
