Tippeligaen 2016 Season Preview
The Norwegian Premier League kicks off its 2016 season this weekend. In 2015, Rosenborg comfortably took the title by a 12-point margin, but after losing two of their best players over the winter break, many are expecting a much closer title race this year.
Rosenborg
We don’t have to wait long to see how Rosenborg will fare without Søderlund and Selnæs. A visit to 2014 Cup finalists Odd on the opening weekend is followed swiftly by the first home game of the season against last season’s runners-up Strømsgodset. A tough start, so coach Kåre Ingebrigtsen will look to new signing Christian Gytkjær to replace the goals of Søderlund. The Dane scored 36 goals over the past three seasons for Haugesund and will be under pressure to deliver quickly.
Molde
The return of Ole Gunnar Solskjær to Molde has left everyone wondering if he can repeat the magic of 2011 and 2012 when he led Molde to their first ever league titles. A terrific run to the last 32 of this year’s Europa League will have filled the club with confidence, as will their last game, a 1-0 home win over Sevilla.
This recent run of competitive football should see Molde start the season in full-flow, so don’t be surprised to see them leading the pack after the first few games. One curious sideshow is the arrival of Icelandic legend Eiður Guðjohnsen. Can the 37-year-old striker still make an impact?
Strømsgodset
Stromsgodset go into the season with the most settled side of the title contenders, but have lost Marvin Ogunjimi to the lure of South Korea. Tommy Heiland arrives from Molde and Portuguese midfielder Francisco Junior joins from Everton. Likely to there or thereabouts.
Odd
The Skien club have established themselves as one of Norway’s most consistent teams under the stewardship of Dag-Eilev Fagermo. The goals of Olivier Occéan proved critical last season but at 34 it will be interesting to see what he has left in the tank. A consistent season of goals from the Canadian could see Odd challenging.
The Norwegian Premier League kicks off its 2016 season this weekend. In 2015, Rosenborg comfortably took the title by a 12-point margin, but after losing two of their best players over the winter break, many are expecting a much closer title race this year.
Rosenborg
We don’t have to wait long to see how Rosenborg will fare without Søderlund and Selnæs. A visit to 2014 Cup finalists Odd on the opening weekend is followed swiftly by the first home game of the season against last season’s runners-up Strømsgodset. A tough start, so coach Kåre Ingebrigtsen will look to new signing Christian Gytkjær to replace the goals of Søderlund. The Dane scored 36 goals over the past three seasons for Haugesund and will be under pressure to deliver quickly.
Molde
The return of Ole Gunnar Solskjær to Molde has left everyone wondering if he can repeat the magic of 2011 and 2012 when he led Molde to their first ever league titles. A terrific run to the last 32 of this year’s Europa League will have filled the club with confidence, as will their last game, a 1-0 home win over Sevilla.
This recent run of competitive football should see Molde start the season in full-flow, so don’t be surprised to see them leading the pack after the first few games. One curious sideshow is the arrival of Icelandic legend Eiður Guðjohnsen. Can the 37-year-old striker still make an impact?
Strømsgodset
Stromsgodset go into the season with the most settled side of the title contenders, but have lost Marvin Ogunjimi to the lure of South Korea. Tommy Heiland arrives from Molde and Portuguese midfielder Francisco Junior joins from Everton. Likely to there or thereabouts.
Odd
The Skien club have established themselves as one of Norway’s most consistent teams under the stewardship of Dag-Eilev Fagermo. The goals of Olivier Occéan proved critical last season but at 34 it will be interesting to see what he has left in the tank. A consistent season of goals from the Canadian could see Odd challenging.
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