Brøndby-Esbjerg

Sunday 6/4 19.30

Brøndby (4th) won in Viborg last weekend (1-0). A good win but the match could really have gone either way since Viborg were allowed to have several big chances. Brøndby have a quality keeper in Hradecky though and his saving percentage is also four per cent points above the league average. But it should be concerning that Brøndby conceded seven shots on target against a team like Viborg. Offensively Brøndby welcomed the new striker Nunez and he made an impact by scoring his first goal. Brøndby had some good combinations that resulted in fine chances, but it is clear that top striker Makienok is not at the top of his game right now. He was a better friend with the ball last year. Brøndby will welcome back central midfielder Martin Ørnskov from suspension. Defender Boulahrouz is doubtful. Esbjerg (5th) suffered a major setback to their medal ambitions with 0-0 at home to FC Vestsjælland. Esbjerg failed to overcome FC Vestsjælland’s ultra defensive approach. It was visible that Esbjerg have some issues when they are to combine through a tight defence. They will expect to have much more space against an offensive minded Brøndby team. Esbjerg have been strong this year, dominating every single match they have played. The result: 4 wins and 2 draws. Unfortunately for Esbjerg, two of their key players left the last match early, striker Pusic and midfielder Andersen. Andersen was back in training today (Tuesday) and should be fit, while no new information on Pusic has been published. If Pusic is not fit, Esbjerg will start with team top goalscorer Mick van Buren. The Dutchman has been underperforming for a while, but has recently started scoring a lot of goals for the reserves. But naturally it would be a blow to be without the strong Pusic. Esbjerg’s defence looks very solid at the moment. They have only conceded twice in 2014’s six games.

In our opinion this is a very equal match. Brøndby have been forced to make a lot of changes due to injuries and suspension. The line-up is rarely the same from week to week and this clearly is a negative factor. Esbjerg on the other half has a lot of momentum and has been spared from key injuries. Esbjerg have not lost in the last seven H2H’s and we see a great potential match-up between the quick striker Bakenga and Brøndby’s rather slow central defence. The away win is our Tip of the Week.

Tip of the Week: 2 (DNB) – 2.15 at Nordicbet