Fk Haugesund – Brann 25-05-2025

After spending May removing all doubt about who is best in Rogaland, after 5-1 and 1-4 against Viking, Fk Haugesund will now turn their attention north. Maybe they can crown themselves as second best in the southwest of the country?

Analysis of the teams

The elite series table has started to settle, and we are really only missing Molde from having the kind of table we envisioned. Bodø/Glimt have played four (!) fewer matches than league leader Viking, so we expect to find them at the very top when they are up to date. But today's match will be an important match in so many areas. For Brann it is about staying at the top, in addition to being the best in Western Norway, while for Fk Haugesund it is a fight for survival. And for Sancheev Manoharan it may be the last chance to keep his job.

Fk Haugesund – the ship that set out on the open sea with a hole in the hull

Although many experts predicted a tough season, no one expected Fk ​​Haugesund to be on 1 point after eight league rounds. And now that Brann and Bodø/Glimt are next, there is a good chance that they will also be on 1 point after 10 league rounds. Then the crisis is a fact.

But this year's season can be seen with different lenses. Because while this year's team was expected to lose to Rosenborg, Viking and Molde, it was also expected that they would be able to give Bryne and Strømsgodset a bigger fight than they actually managed. And it is perhaps these two games that they should be judged by. And there they are at a failing grade.

But another fact is that, with the exception of the match against Strømsgodset, they have been relatively solid at the back. It's a tall order, but red cards in both matches against Viking ruined what could have been two good matches. Because they were reasonably good in both until the referee gave the marching orders to Krusnell and Leite, respectively.

And Fk Haugesund also hung in well against Molde, and they didn't bother Lerkendal either. And against Fredrikstad they weren't significantly threatened. And what all these five matches have in common is that they came after Manoharan switched to five at the back. And without the red cards, the defensive aspect wouldn't have been an issue. For Selvik's replacement, Amund Wichne, you can't blame him, even if he's not the match winner his predecessor was.

But what is a theme, and has been for a couple of years now, is the offensive. And even more so now that Espejord is injured. Who will score the goals? Because as it is now, they have neither goal scorers nor facilitators in the squad. Nobody has more than one goal, and nobody has more than one assist. And with Espejord and Nyhammer injured, there is little creativity left on the pitch. Rohd was brought in to replace Tounetki, but success is yet to come. And there are no goals in Seone, Samuelsen, Sory or Camara.

So they are left with an overcrowded and poorly coordinated defense, a hard-working midfield in Eskesen, Leite and Konradsen, and wild chickens at the top. That's what OBOS smells like. By far.

Fire – life after Horneland is starting to get back to normal

The Bergen team are dramatic, and it is not uncommon for them to have concluded before the season has even started. And after 3-0 in Fredrikstad in the series opener, there were critical voices who believed that the upturn was over, and that the legacy of Horneland had been swept away. But with 5-0-0 in the next five games, the whistle had taken on a different sound. And even though the trolls may be about to crawl out into the sun now that they are 0-2-0 in the last two, the season is on track and the top of the table is within reach.

And there is no shortage of entertainment in Bergen. With a 16-12 record in 8 games, only Viking has scored more. And in the absence of Niklas Castro, who managed three goals in six games before he was injured, much of the responsibility has been placed on Heggbø, Hansen and Finne. And the former in particular has delivered the goods.

In addition, it is not only in the goal difference that we can interpret that Brann likes to go on the attack. They have produced eight (!) corners on average per match. And 88% of their matches have gone over 9.5 corners. And only Viking tests their shooting foot more often than the Bergeners. Brann stands with 15 per match, against Viking's 20. And against a defensive and compact Haugesund team, they may soon be forced to try their hand from distance.

Gudmundsson was brilliant last time, and with Felix Myhre as the opposing inside runner, in addition to the aforementioned attacking trio, they will besiege the home team's goal. Free play, shooting and getting around the edge will probably be tried diligently, but against a low-lying Haugesund, the back space will be minimal and in a derby like this, the home team will dive in with their teeth first in every tackle.

Are the goals waiting to happen?

It could well be. Because Brann can quickly need time to break down a compact home team. And even though personal mistakes have fallen Haugesund before, they will probably come when the heads get tired. And even though we tipped under 0.5 goals to Fk Haugesund at Lerkendal, we don't dare to do it at home against Brann. But we don't think the home team will suddenly figure it out here. Especially not now that Espejord is out.

But we believe in corners for the away team. One thing is that Brann has shown that they generally create an extremely high number of corners, but Haugesund gives away even more. In this year's three home games they have given away 9 corners on average per game. And in total this season the average is 7.5 per game. In addition, we believe that the teams' tactical dispositions mean that we can easily go over the line again here. And if we are right that it is Brann who will run the game, while the home team is low and close, in addition to the fact that the first goal is waiting to happen, then there should be a couple for the away team.

And is it possible that Brann wants to be the team that really kills all joy and hope for the future in Haugesund? We believe so. And that is why we do not believe that Brann will stop hitting as soon as the opponent is put on the ground. The Bergeners will hammer away until the little neighbor to the south goes into a coma, and that it will thus be on artificial respiration until they wake up again at Høddvoll sometime in the spring of 2026.

Norway at 19:15: Fk Haugesund – Brann: Over 6.5 corners to Brann (1.91)

Alternative game;

Norway at 19:15: Fk Haugesund – Brann: under 1.5 goals at halftime (1.60)

Update 21.05: Brune Leite must serve a three-match suspension, and must also sit out this match. Which further weakens the home team.