Aiming to break into the top three of the Norwegian Eliteserien table with a third straight victory, Fredrikstad will travel to Bryne Stadion to take on Bryne on Saturday.
The visitors sit fourth thanks to a fast start to the season, while their hosts climbed out of the bottom two with a win of their own last time out.
Match preview
Bryne return to action in the Norwegian Eliteserien on Saturday in search of a second straight win to kickstart their season, having bounced back from a tough opening run last time out.
After sealing their return to the top flight for the first time since 2003 last time around with a second-placed finish in Norway’s second tier, the Jaerens superlag experienced a tough start to the 2025 term, losing five and winning one of their first six league outings while conceding 13 goals.
That culminated in three straight league defeats at the hands of Brann, Rosenborg and Molde, albeit separated by a Norwegian Cup third-round victory, before Kevin Knappen‘s side visited Stromsgodset last Friday and bounced back to winning ways in a 2-0 triumph thanks to Sanel Bojadzic‘s early opener and a Logi Tomasson own goal.
KFUM Oslo then visited Bryne Stadion on Tuesday for a Norwegian Cup fourth-round tie, but Knappen’s men were unable to progress to the quarter-finals with a second straight win, instead succumbing to a 2-0 home defeat as Obilor Okeke and David Hickson got on the scoresheet for the visitors.
Now with their focus fully on the league campaign and sitting on six points from seven outings, narrowly above the bottom three, Bryne will bid to put another three-point haul on the board at the weekend to build a lead.
They face a tough test, though, as the visitors arrive in fine form at the top end of the table.
Following a sixth-placed finish in their own first season back in the Norwegian Eliteserien last time out, Fredrikstad have enjoyed another fine start to the 2025 term, earning 16 points from their first seven outings.
They began with a victory and a defeat in the top flight and have since gone unbeaten in five league outings, only dropping points once in that run in a goalless stalemate away at Haugesund.
Andreas Hagen‘s side returned to winning ways after that draw in a 1-0 triumph away at Kristiansund, thanks to Stian Molde‘s goal, before Sondre Sorlokk netted the only goal early on in another tight contest at home to KFUM Oslo last Friday.
Now also on the back of a Norwegian Cup fourth-round exit in midweek, having fallen short in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 away draw with Lillestrok, Fredrikstad return to Eliteserien action aiming to narrow their four-point gap to leaders Viking and climb into the top three with a third straight league win.
Team News
Bryne head into Saturday’s contest without Andre-Remi Svindland, Jon-Helge Tveita and Kristian Haland, all of whom remain confined to the treatment room.
Kevin Knappen may field the same starting XI from last week’s league win over Stromsgodset, with Sanel Bojadzic bound to lead the line again after opening his account for the season in that game.
He should continue to join Duarte Moreira, who has notched up three Eliteserien goals so far this term after hitting 11 last times around, while Alfred Scriven, Lars Sodal and Nicklas Strunck will all keep their places in the middle of the 5-3-2 shape.
Fredrikstad will also revert to a similar XI from their league victory last weekend, with Joannes Bjartalid and Sigurd Kvile remaining sidelined by injuries.
In a 3-4-3 setup, Emil Holten should continue to lead the line with support from wingers Sondre Sorlokk, who netted his first goal of the season in the 1-0 triumph over KFUM Oslo last weekend, and Oskar Ohlenschlaeger.
Patrick Metcalfe should again get the nod alongside key man Leonard Owusu in the engine room of their 3-4-3 shape, while Brage Skaret may come into a back three alongside Ulrik Fredriksen and Maxwell Woledzi in the absence of the suspended Fallou Fall.
Bryne possible starting lineup:
De Boer; Gorlich, Norheim, Kryger, Husebo, Saunes; Strunck, Sodal, Scriven; Moreira, Bojadzic
Fredrikstad possible starting lineup:
Fischer; Woledzi, Fredriksen, Skaret; Eid, Metcalfe, Owusu, Molde; Ohlenschlaeger, Holten, Sorlokk
We say: Bryne 1-2 Fredrikstad
Fredrikstad have quickly picked up where they left off in 2024 this season and should have the quality to make it three straight victories on Sunday, despite the hosts rebuilding confidence with a return to winning ways last weekend.
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