Viking – Stromsgodset 05-07-25

Talk about night and day. Or in this context, day and night. For Viking, it really shines as brightly as the sun at the moment. While the Siddis are enjoying themselves at the top of the table, the situation is quite different in Drammen. Pitch dark, a loss on the back of it, and a staggering six points after eleven games. The contrasts could hardly be greater ahead of Saturday's match, and it is questionable whether Godset will soon have to realize that this can quickly bring down a storey. And for Viking? Yes, this could end a long drought without league gold. 34 years have passed since the last time the trophy ended up in Stavanger, and for Viking, who ravaged the 70s, they are closer than ever. Now it's just a matter of keeping the heat on, and not letting any Bodøværings on the shooting range get stressed.

Viking – A rock solid start to the season

For Viking, it has hardly been better than what the team shows in 2025. In 14 matches, they are 10-3-1, and a great goal difference that reads 38-17. In the last ten matches, the dark blue stand with nine wins, before having to settle for 1-1 and a draw against Rosenborg most recently. The impressive points haul, and the brilliant form, have led the team to the top of the table, and as of now all the arrows point in the same direction. Could this really be the season for Viking?

It's been a while since 1991. We have to go back three years before the Olympics in Lillehammer to find the last league gold for Viking. With Rosenborg on the march, they won their eighth league title. However, this one was supposed to be in the 90s, because the Trøndelag team had really woken up, and came away with 13 gold medals. Since then, Viking has never really been 100% in the game. There have been a few third places here and there, but have they ever been in such a good position as now? It seems that they are gradually starting to believe again, and rightly so.

For football, Morten Jensen's boys are playing excellently. The goals are loose, and they dominate the field game from 16 meters to 16 meters. 38 goals in 14 games are strong numbers, and opponents have a tough time stopping the team from Stavanger when they rush forward. One who must be kept injury-free is Zlatko Tripic. If this is to result in a long-awaited league title, the sluggish attacker must have grass under his feet. Eight goals have been scored so far, and the contributions, as well as the signal effect a player of his caliber contributes, are indispensable. There have been a couple of injuries, and both strains and possible injuries when changing beds at home must be avoided. Let's assume that the housework is handed over to someone a little more knowledgeable for the rest of the season.

Viking is riding a wave of success, and Godset should in theory just be a minor speed bump on the road.

Strømsgodset – Loss, loss and more loss

Because this really isn't Godset's season. Nine losses in eleven games are hair-raising numbers. The result is a deserved relegation place, and if Haugesund hadn't performed as they do, this would have been a jumbo place in the table. The road from here to safe ground under their feet seems long. The last six in the league have been lost, and in the last three Strømsgodset have not managed to score a single goal. 0-10 is a foregone conclusion in the goal record of these three. And with all due respect, these are not top teams they have faced. Ham-Kam, Koffa and Vålerenga have thus inflicted 0-3, 0-5 and 0-2 respectively on Drammenserne. The numbers speak crystal clear, and what do you do when you travel west to meet the league leaders? If football were mathematics, Saturday's match would have ended in a 0-10 loss.

But it probably won't. The team has to mobilize now. The first order of business must, as always, be to fortify their own cage. You have to close it down, take the return runs, and ensure that the opponent is not allowed to wander freely around your own 16-meter box. A difficult task, and when YFUM finds its way to the net five times, what can Viking achieve? The self-image is probably not the best when you're sitting on the bus to the oil city in the west.

Marko Farji has been a bright spot. The winger has contributed to the little that has been of entertainment, but it is questionable whether that will now also come to an end. Heerenveen are making constant offers, and for the 21-year-old it must be extremely tempting to leave Drammen to play football at a completely different level in the Netherlands. Godset cannot say no to this money indefinitely. Gustav Wikheim has returned home, however. The 32-year-old has a solid standing at the club, and if one is to have any hope of anything at all, the contributions must come quickly and regularly. Beyond this, we are dealing with a relatively gray team. And a team out of shape. Something very much so.

Conclusion – Trends fade, and new trends take over. But, is that really happening now?

No, we don't think so. We don't think Viking will stop, and we don't think Godset will suddenly emerge as a proper football team. The losses have been so significant, so deserved, that we can't quite see how to turn it all around in Stavanger on Saturday. The home odds are down to 1.20. Rightly so. That's how big the difference in quality is now, if not even bigger. Because while everything has gone well for Viking, the losing streak to away teams is as long as a bad year.

These six losses on the rap for Strømsgodset, and perhaps the last three, goalless losses, have shown enormous holes in a somewhat disillusioned team. Ten goals against is a lot, and the fact that one is very little able to challenge the opponent's defensive ranks must be described as a sporting crisis that is never so small. Fagermo really has his work cut out for him this summer.

We believe in more we. More goals for the home team, three new points, and more trouble for the team from Drammen. If the trend continues, the away team will lose without scoring a goal, and we believe it will. Look for both nice handicap bets, as well as corner variants where they deliver their game this Saturday. Viking cannot take their foot off the gas pedal, and there is no reason for that either. Godset, for their part, must first try to contain it a bit, and that will not necessarily improve their offensive opportunities. This one ends without an away goal.

Norway at 16:00: Viking – Strømsgodset: Both teams to score: No (2.15)

Alternative game

Norway at 16:00: Viking – Strømsgodset: Viking – 1.5 goals (1.65)