Eliteserien Fantasy: Gameweek 13 Preview

Even though starts in the league have been hard to come by, a hat-trick in the Champions League playoff match should earn Victor Boniface a well-deserved start against Sarpsborg at home, where he could solidify his spot in the team, making him one of Jacob Silkstone’s top picks in Eliteserien Fantasy for gameweek 13.

Eliteserien Fantasy GW12 Recap

Thirteen is traditionally an unlucky number, but it’s hard to imagine many weeks treating fantasy managers harder than GW12. Firstly, a late double gameweek announcement left many of us scrambling to get in Molde players ahead of the deadline, with a slew of hits taken to double-up on the Molde attack. Cue one goal in two games (plus a missed penalty) against newly-promoted sides. There was also some interest in bottom-of-the-table Kristiansund ahead of their double, but a pilots’ strike left them with no option other than to cancel their fixture against Tromsø (for the second time this season). Predicting fantasy scores involves several different variables, but knowing which unions are about to take strike action (or which major airlines are heading for bankruptcy) isn’t traditionally part of the average fantasy pundit’s skillset.

Amid a number of other surprise results (including a defeat for Bodø/Glimt) and blanks for some popular picks, our Team of the Week didn’t do particularly well. We just about made the right call in doubling on Molde’s defence rather than their attack, but our decision to triple up on Sarpsborg backfired. We predicted more goals in that fixture than in any other; the prediction was accurate, but our three Sarpsborg attackers registered just a single assist between them. Molde’s David Fofana (our captain selection) and Jerv’s Aral Simsir contributed our only other attacking returns this week, as our team ended on 51 points (slightly ahead of the overall average, which was down at 45).

The pilots’ strike continues, but at the time of writing, all Eliteserien games are scheduled to go ahead this weekend. As ever, we’ll try to add updates if there are any late changes to the fixture list. This week’s major transfer news is that Sigurd Haugen (owned by over a third of teams) has been sold to AGF Aarhus and has played his last game for Aalesund.

Eliteserien Fantasy GW13 Picks

Goalkeeper

Jerv’s draw against Molde was their first ever away point as an Eliteserien club, but we’re not expecting them to add another this week. Rosenborg’s André Hansen (5.5M) is our first-choice keeper: the Trondheim team have kept clean sheets in three of their five home games, while Jerv have only scored twice away from home all season.

Defence

Molde’s fixture against Tromsø is under threat from the strike, but all the signs currently point to it going ahead. With Tromsø’s preparation being less than ideal and Molde desperate to bounce back from two disappointing draws, we’re looking at Kristoffer Haugen (7.4M) to lead our defensive picks this week. Haugen has been posting far better stats than Martin Linnes over the last few games, so he offers the chance of attacking returns too.

Top-scorer Veton Berisha is expected to sit out at least one more league game for Viking, and the Stavanager side have been blunt up front without their star player. League leaders Lillestrøm have conceded just once at home all season, and centre-back Tom Pettersson (4.9M) is an intriguing option. An injury at the start of the season meant his price dropped and he was overlooked by most fantasy managers, but he registered more shots in the box than any other Lillestrøm defender in their last game and already has three attacking returns this year.

Vålerenga have been one of the biggest disappointments of the season, facing a relegation battle if their current form continues. With a crucial home game against bottom-of-the-table Kristiansund to come, we’re giving one last chance to Vegar Eggen Hestenstad (5.9M). Vålerenga have generally been solid at home, with the notable exception of a heavy defeat against Rosenborg, and Hedenstad’s pinpoint crosses have already led to two assists. Meanwhile, Kristiansund are bereft of confidence and only have two goals away from home so far this season.

Midfield

Rosenborg’s key man Stefano Vecchia (10.7M) is back from injury and takes the captain’s armband for us this week. With goals in each of his last four starts, Vecchia is central to Rosenborg’s attack, and we’re predicting that Jerv might struggle defensively against a fully-rested side after a heroic effort to keep Molde out in midweek.

Strømsgodset’s Johan Hove (9.0M) has been conspicuously quiet over the last three games, after playing a central role in his side’s six-game unbeaten run earlier in the season. Having scored in three of his last four at home, we’re backing him to rediscover his best form this gameweek. Opponents Odd are joint second in the league for xG conceded, although it’s worth noting that they’re on a run of three consecutive away wins.

Alioune Ndour Badou (8.9M) saw his golden run of form come to an abrupt end last week, with a sequence of eight goals in eight games followed by a blank and a yellow card against Jerv. We’re backing him to bounce back against another newly-promoted side, HamKam, this time around.

Sandefjord’s Mohamed Ofkir (6.8M) has three consecutive double-digit hauls. While the raw numbers suggest he’s significantly over-performing, he’s still in the league’s top 20 for xG, and it’s worth capitalising on his current purple patch. A home game against Aalesund is a decent fixture, and we’re happy to back Ofkir again.

Emil Breivik (5.5M) underlined his status as a budget gem with another assist in the midweek game against Jerv — his fifth assist of the season. He ranks third in the Molde squad (behind only Haugen and the injured Wolff Eikrem) for xA, and he’s still owned by under 10% of teams in fantasy.

Attack

Victor Boniface (10.0M) has started just three league games for Bodø/Glimt all season, but sits third in the league for xG per 90 minutes. He scored a hat-trick in the midweek Champions League match and fully deserves a run in a team that have struggled to replicate the highs of their last two title-winning years. A home game against Sarpsborg should be the perfect opportunity to prove himself.

If, for any reason, you’re not convinced by Vecchia, Ole Christian Sæter (5.9M) provides a much cheaper route into the Rosenborg attack. He scored a hat-trick in their last home game, and has already racked up five goals and two assists despite starting just three games all season.