Brondby, aiming to secure the European qualification playoff spot, will travel to Vejlby Stadion on Sunday afternoon to face Aarhus in the Danish Superliga season finale.
The hosts are already confirmed to finish sixth in the table, while the visitors are battling to secure a third-placed finish and the chance to qualify for European football.
Match preview
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Aarhus recorded their third consecutive top-half finish in the Danish Superliga with a third-placed finish in the regular season, but a disappointing recent run has seen them rapidly fall down the standings.
Uwe Rosler, in charge since July 2022, had guided his side to nine wins, nine draws and just four defeats in 22 pre-split fixtures, but they have recorded just one win, one draw and seven defeats in the post-split matches.
Those results have seen the Whites fall from third to sixth in the Danish Superliga table with 40 points from 31 games, trailing fifth-placed Nordsjaelland by six points, meaning their sixth-placed finish is already confirmed with only three points left to play for.
While Rosler’s men have nothing at stake on Sunday, the hosts will be eager to conclude the season on a high by snapping their eight-game winless streak with a home victory.
In comparison, their visitors, Brondby, have plenty of motivation heading into the final day of the campaign, with Frederik Birk‘s side battling for third place in the table.
Birk initially took over as caretaker manager in December and was made permanent in January following Jesper Sorensen‘s dismissal, with Brondby struggling outside the top three during a challenging spell.
The new boss has guided Brondby into third place with one game remaining, although their position could have been secured earlier if not for a disappointing four-game winless streak in the league.
Those results mean that Randers and Nordsjaelland are still in the fight for a third-placed finish, trailing on goal difference and by two points respectively, leaving the final match of the season as a crucial encounter.
Brondby will secure third place with a win, provided Randers cannot overturn the current three-goal difference, and with victories in their last two encounters against Aarhus, they have plenty of reason for confidence ahead of the clash.
Team News
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The hosts are expected to be without the services of Eric Kahl, Jacob Andersen and Youssouph Badji for Sunday’s encounter due to injury issues, while Kristian Arnstad is a doubt after coming off with an injury in the latest outing.
Patrick Mortensen is the Danish Superliga top scorer with 20 goals in 31 league appearances this season, and the striker will aim to make the difference for Aarhus once again on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Brondby are expected to have a clean bill of health heading into the final match of the campaign, while they will also be boosted by the return of Noah Nartey after serving his one-match suspension.
Mathias Kvistgaarden and Yuito Suzuki have scored 28 league goals between them this term, and the attacking duo are anticipated to line up alongside Nicolai Vallys in this one.
Aarhus possible starting lineup:
Hansen; Molgaard, Dalsgaard, Tingager, Jensen-Abbew, Beijmo; Haugstrup, Poulsen, Madsen; Anderson, Mortensen
Brondby possible starting lineup:
Pentz; Klaiber, Alves, Rasmussen; Sebulonsen, Tahirovic, Wass, Divkovic; Suzuki, Vallys; Kvistgaarden
We say: Aarhus 1-2 Brondby
Neither team are in great form heading into Sunday’s encounter, but given the visitors have much more at stake than their hosts, we expect Brondby to clinch a crucial victory in the battle for third place in the league.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
