Hødd – Start 10-08-2025

Hødd gets a visit at Høddvoll Stadium from one of the OBOS league's best-form teams.

For Start it really seems to have found its form after the holidays. They also had a good period before the holidays, but after the Lillestrøm match they have looked fantastic. There is a lot to suggest that this team will be in the top right from the start.

Hødd, who were newly promoted before the season, have also proven to be a difficult team to beat. Their form after the holidays has not been great, and the team must be careful not to end up at the bottom of the relegation battle.

Right now they are 7 points ahead of Stabæk who are in the qualifying place. We may think that this is not the must-win match, but it would certainly be a nice bonus if they can take something from this one too.

Hødd – should be a notch below here.

They have surprised many by biting off well, and they are probably the best at home. But whether they are good enough is another question. A slightly tortuous journey to get to the slightly windy Ulsteinvik may certainly be part of the reason why home is their preferred arena. But 4-1-2 and 11-8 in goal difference is no more than it should be. Losses came early in the season against Kongsvinger and Ranheim.

Since then they have drawn against strong Lillestrøm, and won against teams like Odd, Sogndal Mjøndalen and Egersund. Which shows that to win here, you have to be good. Unfortunately for Hødd, we believe that they will meet such a team in this round. The in-form team Start is coming, and they are also looking for revenge for a bitter loss early in the season, where Start had an xG of 3.36, against Hødd's 1.03.

That's also a bit of a problem for Hødd. They create too little. 22 goals scored in 17 matches so far is very little in this league, and only 3 teams have scored less. Top scorer Skotheim has 5 goals in 17 matches, and you need a top scorer in this league who delivers better numbers than this. There are also problems at the back, and with 28 behind, only 5 teams have conceded more goals against.

Taken together, these are numbers that can quickly lead to them getting involved in the bottom line.

Start – Mackerel football is back.

Many people probably remember Karsten Johannessen's expression about the mackerel football in the south of Norway. "Now the mackerel football has arrived" was the expression used to describe Start's offensive and attacking football. An expression that meant that they attacked and defended in a pack. It meant that the team was about to become integrated, and has been an expression that the southerners have been waiting to use.

That it was under Azar Karadas that it would happen is, if anything, surprising. But it looks like he has really got this team going. The start hasn't looked this good in a long time. A club that has had its challenges for a long time finally looks like it can fight for promotion to the top league again.

It also seems as if it is the old striker qualities of Karadas that are the easiest to unlearn. Because the offensive players of Start have delivered absolutely wild numbers lately. Grundetjern who had 11 total this year, has been sold on to Vålerenga. He has continued at the same pace there, and will certainly be missed. But the legacy has been picked up by Lorentzen who has 3 goals and 2 assists in the last 3 games and captain Schulze who has 1 goal and 2 assists in the last 3. These have been really good in the last games, and found together.

In addition, Start has brought in an exciting guy in Ahmed Adebayo from Estonian Tammeka. A guy who has delivered well with goals and points before he announced his transfer. Looked like a physical player who will certainly contribute at this level when he gets started. Debuted last and got a few minutes at the end. Will probably get more time eventually.

This starting team still has enough offensive power to break down Hødd, and we think they have a good chance.

Conclusion – Form and Faith.

There has been faith in Kristiansand since before. But perhaps mostly in the biblical direction. But with the form Start is now showing, it seems that the southerners have gained faith in their team too. We almost expect the team to beat a Hødd team that is a bit of a letdown in this match. Hødd has delivered okay play-wise lately. But still ended up without any results. A bit typical of a team that has been promoted. When the air starts to leak out of the balloon, the team has not had the baggage it needs to get out of it.

We have great faith that a Start team in form will take this one. We are therefore playing the following bets at good odds:

OBOS at 17:00: Hødd – Start: Start wins (2.05)