Rosenborg vs Lillestrom prediction 21.07.2024

• Competition: Eliteserien 
• Date: Sunday, 21st July, 2024
• Kickoff: 18:15 UK / 19:15 CEST
• Venue: Lerkendal Stadion (Trondheim)

Rosenborg, the most successful club in Norway, won their last league title in 2018. Since then, their performance has steadily declined. Last year, they finished 9th, their worst placement in 46 years. Unfortunately, this season has been even worse. They are currently in 11th place with only 17 points, just three points away from the relegation zone. The main issue this season has been Rosenborg's poor away record. To move further away from the relegation zone and aim for European competition, they must improve their performance on the road. While reaching 4th place seems unrealistic, 5th place is still within reach, only six points away. Depending on the Cup results, finishing 5th might secure them a spot in Europe, as they are currently only six points behind Fredrikstad, who sit in 5th place.

Lilestrom secured promotion to Eliteserien in 2020 and did very well in the following three seasons, finishing fourth (twice) and once sixth. This year, the popular Canaries are looking slightly worse, as they are 7th with 19 points - closer to the relegation zone than European spots. Still, they have looked pretty good since the Summer break, winning six points in three rounds. They lost only to Molde, which is among the best teams in the country. So, there is definitely a reason for optimism.

Rosenborg vs Lillestrom pick: Over 2.5 goals

Along with Sarpsborg, Rosenborg are the best team in the league for an over 2.5 goals bet, with 71% of their league games (10 of 14) ending with three or more goals. Even though they have had mixed results, they are scoring pretty regularly regardless of the result and have done so in the last nine, including a friendly against Manchester United. So, we believe they can score at home against Lillestrom as well.

Lillestrom are in good form, having won three of the last four games and four of the previous five if we count the friendly against Goteborg as well. During that stretch, they scored nine goals - 1.8 per game, and it is fair to expect at least a couple of goals against the second-worst defense in Eliteserien.

Additionally, both teams have played mostly high-scoring games recently. Rosenborg have were over 2.5 goals in eight of the last nine league games, and Lillestrom were over 2.5 goals in the previous seven Eliteserien games.

These teams were over 2.5 goals in the previous five h2h games, with both teams scoring on four occasions. Considering all the above, we expect another high-scoring game.