Viborg-FC Midtjylland

Friday 8/11 18.30

We had faith in Viborg (5th) last weekend. That was a mistake. Viborg were abysmal. Their best weapon, the counters were without effect since Viborg failed to complete even the simple passes. League top scorer Dalgaard scored on a penalty, but was invisible for the rest of match, highlighting his inabilities when Viborg fail in their midfield build-up. He is a finisher, not a dribbling wizard. There is positive news for Viborg though. They will benefit from the return of midfielder Rømer and right back Gotfredsen. Both players were missed in the last match: Viborg looks more robust with them in the line-up. FC Midtjylland (1st) had a brilliant Sunday with a 3-0 win against Esbjerg. The unequal score line is not telling the entire story. Midtjylland were efficient scoring three goals on seven shots. Two of the goals arrived on set pieces at which Esbjerg are particularly bad and Viborg particularly good. Midtjylland failed to control possession and lost a lot of balls in midfield. Surprising since FC Midtjylland fielded a strong centre with Izunna, Petter Andersson and Marco Larsen. One the positives was the return of striker Morten Duncan to the scoring scene. Duncan made two goals after a drought lasting since the beginning of September. The scoring form of Duncan is highly correlated with Midtjylland wins, so his renewed sharpness is highly welcomed in Herning. FC Midtjylland will be without key defender Erik Sviatchenko and unless captain Kristian Bak returns from injury (not unlikely), Midtjylland will be forced to field a defence consisting of two 19 year olds (Banggaard and Nattestad). This is a fierce (Jutland standards) local derby so a packed stadium is to be expected.

Viborg have an almost fully fit squad. They are normally pretty strong at home, having lost only one home match this season. Midtjylland are without key defender Sviatchenko and their performances have not been impressing lately. They have not won an away match in almost three months. When all this is said, FC Midtjylland are the better team and should therefore be favourites, but in our opinion a bit too much. We go for the home team with Asian Handicap, but only as an idea. Do not be surprised to see odds on FC Midtjylland fall during the week leaving more value for our selection.

Idea: 1 (AH+0.50) 1,88 Bet365