With the Eliteserien season winding down in 2025 (they play from March – early December), Brann are hosting the champions in the biggest match of the final stretch. Currently, Viking lead the table by a single point, with both Glimt and Brann having a game in hand:

(Before we move on, I just want to offer my sincere condolences to the Haugesund supporters, this was a difficult season).

Technically, the current Top 4 all could still win the Eliteserien with only 4/5 matches left to play, although realistically Brann and Tromsø require considerable chokes from Bodø/Glimt and Viking to get their hands on the title. This has been a very competitive season in Norway, and whoever claims the title will have deserved it.

With Glimt currently one point behind Viking with the game in hand, the goal differential could end up being important and is currently in Bodø’s favour to the tune of +15 GD. It would be unlikely but not impossible for Viking to overcome this deficit, but their path to becoming champions most likely involves winning on points outright. The Viking faithful will be cheering on Brann today and hoping the Bergen-based side can deliver a crushing blow to the Northern Norwegians’ title hopes.

Brann have won the last two times Glimt came to town, 4-1 and 4-2. In fact, Bodø have just two league wins at Brann in the past 5 seasons, showing it is a difficult away trip. Today will be no different, but with the stakes so high, history won’t be deciding the outcome today. Expect to see a battle on the pitch. Young Brann CB standout Eivind Helland will have Kasper Høgh to deal with today in what should be a very interesting duel, with both players likely on their way to bigger leagues soon.

You would have to go back to the August 31 match against Sandefjord to find the last time that Bodø/Glimt did NOT score within the first 15 minutes of the match. They will certainly try to come out in Bergen and take control early. If Brann can start prepared and weather the initial storm, then it will be a close battle until full-time, though Glimt have shown on multiple occasions that they can essentially win a match in the first half-hour.

A win for Bodø/Glimt, and they’re 2 points clear with 4 matches to play and a superior GD. Three wins and a draw from their final matches would almost certainly be enough to win the title in that case (provided Viking don’t make up the 15-goal gap in GD). This would make it 5 titles in 6 years for Kjetil Knutsen and Bodø/Glimt, against all expectations. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of northern Norway’s first ever cup-winning side this season (the 1975 Bodø/Glimt Norwegian Cup Winners, who set the foundation for today’s success), the club’s 5th title would be a perfect ending for the Glimt supporters.

However, as of right now, Viking are still on top and should be taken very seriously. They have not lost in the league since July and have only dropped 4 points in that same period of time. Their remaining fixtures are Strømsgodset (A), HamKam (H), Frederikstad (A), and Vålerenga (H). The most difficult fixture is the away trip to Frederikstad, who have been punching above their weight since returning to the Eliteserien a couple years ago. Viking would need Bodø to drop a full 3 points in their final fixtures to have a chance at the title, but expect them to do their part and force Bodø to achieve maximum remaining points.

The importance of today’s match cannot be understated, not just for this season but for the general landscape of Norwegian football. Viking have not won the Eliteserien since 1991 despite regularly finishing in the Top 5. Brann, who are looking to kickstart a final push for title contention today with a win against Bodø, have not won the Eliteserien since 2007, and have been runners-up to Glimt for the past two seasons. A Glimt win, and they move joint 4th place in all-time Eliteserien titles alongside Molde, Lillestrøm, and Vålerenga despite winning their first in 2020. Regardless of outcome, this has been a very interesting Eliteserien season and I can’t wait to watch the match today!

Thanks for Reading,

LM