Looking to pick up their first points of the 2024-25 campaign, lowly-ranked Vejle will host Nordsjaelland at Vejle Stadion for a Danish Superliga clash on Monday night.
The Reds have failed to earn a result during their first two contests, whilst the Tigers have enjoyed an unbeaten start to their quest for top-flight supremacy.
Match preview
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Following back-to-back wins over Brondby and Fredericia respectively at the conclusion of their pre-season schedule, Vejle have been unable to take that positive momentum from the friendly clashes into the competitive action, losing consecutive matches at the start of the Superliga term.
After coming out on the wrong side of a five-goal thriller with Randers on the opening weekend, the Reds travelled to the aforementioned Brondby with points on the line last Monday, when goals from Mathias Kvistgaarden and Sebastian Sebulonsen secured maximum points for the hosts.
Making the net ripple last time out, Greek winger Dimitrios Emmanouilidis has enjoyed a positive start to the Superliga term individually and will be looking to better his tally of nine goals across all competitions from the 2022-23 campaign.
Heading into their first match of August, Vejle are currently occupying bottom spot in the Danish Superliga standings, with Monday's hosts the only side in the 12-team division yet to earn any points in 2024-25.
The Reds' danger man this season is undoubtedly Russian striker German Onugkha, who managed 15 goals in 31 Superliga appearances during 2023-24, with Vejle's next top goalscorer only finding the net on three occasions in the league.
After missing out on third place and subsequent qualification for the Conference League playoff by just a single point to Danish giants Copenhagen last season, Nordsjaelland are aiming to go one better this term and reach the continental stage by this time next year.
The Tigers are one of five sides who are yet to taste defeat in the top flight, with Monday's visitors to Vejle collecting four points from their opening two fixtures, leaving them in fifth position, only two points behind early pacesetters Randers at the very summit of the standings.
It was a battle of the brace-scoring attackers during Nordsjaelland's most recent fixture on July 27, when two from Conrad Harder were cancelled out by a double from Oliver Sorensen of Midtjylland to force both teams to settle for a share of the spoils.
Following the departure of Johannes Hoff Thorup to Championship outfit Norwich City, the Tigers appointed Jens Fonsskov Olsen as their new head coach, with the 49-year-old now tasked with taking his troops towards the club's second-ever Superliga title.
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Team News
Vejle remain without the services of Thomas Gundelund, who picked up an injury at the end of May and has failed to feature so far this summer.
As a result, Luka Hujber is set to start on the right flank for the Reds once again, despite a challenging start to the season as part of the hosts' XI.
Picking up a knock whilst on international duty in June with Burkina Faso, Nordsjaelland's Adamo Nagalo is a doubt for Monday night's trip to Vejle.
Despite goalscorer Harder stealing the headlines last time out, the likes of Marcus Ingvartsen and Oliver Antman are impressing massively and providing plenty of threat from the flanks.
After a gruelling pre-season schedule, it appears as if youngster Lucas Hey has cemented himself as a first-choice centre-back alongside captain Kian Hansen.
Vejle possible starting lineup:
Vekic; Kolinger, Velkov, Provstgaard; Hujber, Hetemi, Barry, Albornoz; Juwara, Emmanouilidis; Onugkha
Nordsjaelland possible starting lineup:
A Hansen; Ankersen, K Hansen, Hey, Villadsen; Dorgeles, Tverskov, Svensson; Ingvartsen, Antman, Harder
We say: Vejle 1-3 Nordsjaelland
Vejle's tricky run of fixtures at the beginning of the new campaign continues on Monday night, when we feel that the Reds could slump to a third straight defeat.
Nordsjaelland have commenced their quest for the Superliga title in prolific fashion and there is no reason why that trend cannot carry on at Vejle Stadion.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
