Esbjerg-SønderjyskE

Sunday 17/7 19.00

Esbjerg (11th) must be feeling sick after losing to Randers on Monday (0-1). They dominated the match from start to finish and even had a goal wrongly disallowed. It was a bit of a surprise that Esbjerg managed to dominate since they had played a tough match in Kazakhstan a few days before. At the end of the game it was visible that the Esbjerg players were very fatigued. This is also a very likely scenario this Sunday. Esbjerg played another tough Europa League match on Thursday (won 1-0 and qualified to the next round). But Esbjerg showed once again that they currently lack some power in the front line. Striker Pusic is just slowly returning from an injury and that is visible in his performances. Esbjerg could be forced to rest a few players since they will play another Europa League match just a few days afterwards. Very important offensive players like Pusic and Fellah are unlikely to be capable of playing two matches per week currently. Furthermore, Esbjerg are plagued by injuries. Left backs Knudsen and Lucena are both injured, which forces Esbjerg to use players out of their natural position. Winger Casper Nielsen also left the Europa League match with an injury so Esbjerg is likely to line-up in a mediocre edition against SønderjyskE due to their limited squad depth. SønderjyskE (8th) played against AaB without a natural striker and that was probably the only reason that SønderjyskE did not win the match (0-0). They were better than AaB, but they lacked someone to decide the match. The important striker Tommy Bechmann is on his way back from injury but will probably not be ready for this match. The same is the situation with offensive midfielder Nikolaj Madsen and central midfielder Daniel Jensen. SønderjyskE look solid defensively.

If Esbjerg lined up in the strongest formation, they would be clear favourites. However, this is probably not the case due to a tough schedule and injuries. The reserves a rather unproven so Esbjerg are likely to face a tough match. SønderjyskE lack a quality striker, but are likely to be able to contain a weakened Esbjerg side. Under 2.5 goals are also in the cards here.

Recommendation: 2 (+0.5 AH) – 1.95 at Bet365

Idea: Under 2.5 goals – 1.99 at Betsafe

UPDATE: Left back Knudsen will probably start although he won't be able to play more than 60 minutes. The same is the case with the predicted left wing Rasmussen and maybe also striker Pusic. Fellah will start on bench. Esbjerg risk running out of energy at the end. SønderjyskE are expected to start with new striker Golubovic on top.

For important match information and expected line-ups, you can visit (need access):
http://leaguespy.com/preview.php?id=34656&a=33624