The Danish Superliga kicks off on Friday evening with a clash between Midtjylland and Esbjerg at the MCH Arena.
Both teams enjoyed strong campaigns in the Danish top-flight last season, finishing second and third respectively in the Superliga table. The pair will both hope to enjoy similar campaigns this season.
Ironically, these two teams met in on the final day of last season, as Esbjerg recorded a 2-1 win over the home side. The victory ended a 20-game winless run against Midtjylland for Esbjerg.
Midtjylland suffered three defeats in their last four league games of the season, while also suffering defeat in five of their last seven matches in the Danish top-flight.
The poor run of form cost the hosts the title, as they finished nine points behind eventual champions Copenhagen.
They might have beaten the home side on the final day, but Esbjerg finished a massive 15 points behind Midtjylland, despite finishing just a place behind them in the table.
Midtjylland seemed to fall apart defensively towards the end of the campaign, as they conceded at least two goals in three of their last four league games. The matches were part of a run of seven league matches which all produced over 2.5 goals.
Esbjerg’s league encounters towards the end of the campaign were also high-scoring, with over 2.5 goals scored in their last three Superliga outings.
In contrast to the home sides poor end to the season, Esbjerg enjoyed a decent finish to the campaign, losing just one of their last nine league matches in the Superliga.
Ny 2. og 3. trøje til hele Midtjylland.Find trøjerne i Ulveshoppen inden opgøret mod Esbjerg i morgen 👀 #fcm #fcmlive #sldk pic.twitter.com/xKa3sqHSmU— FC Midtjylland (@fcmidtjylland) July 11, 2019
Ny 2. og 3. trøje til hele Midtjylland.Find trøjerne i Ulveshoppen inden opgøret mod Esbjerg i morgen 👀 #fcm #fcmlive #sldk pic.twitter.com/xKa3sqHSmU
Midtjylland suffered defeats in two of their last three home games of the season, including that loss to Esbjerg. The run was out of character for the home side, who had previously gone on a run of 18 league games unbeaten on home soil prior to the defeats.
Forebet predicts that Midtjylland will end their recent winless run against Esbjerg by recording a victory in a high-scoring encounter.