Nordsjaelland – Midtjylland

Danish Superliga Round 6
Farum, August 27, 18:00 CET

Both Nordsjaelland and Midtjylland are teams that are now at the very end of the fight for a place in the group stage of European competitions. But, their duel in Round 6 of the Danish Superliga can hardly be called a real Danish derby. Nordsjaelland is a clear favourite.
Behind Nordsjaelland is the best game of the season, a 5:0 victory over Partizan Belgrade in leg 1 of the play-off round of the Europa Conference League qualifiers. At home, the team from Farum has practically already secured a place in the ECL group stage. Now with a lot of energy and self-confidence, they can go into the match with Midtjylland fully committed.
The home team has an excellent opportunity and obligation to keep pace with the leader in the table and the biggest rival and champions FC Copenhagen, with whom Nordsjaelland led the battle for the Superliga title until the very end of the previous season. The defeat against Silkeborg away from home 2:0 last week was a surprise, but it is clear that the Nordsjaelland players were thinking more about the match with Partizan then. This will not be the case now - and they will have the great support of the local fans, who will surely support the team in Farum in large numbers after a great victory.
Nordsjaelland as the host has won four in a row since the start of the season in all competitions. The team is extremely efficient - at the beginning of August they defeated Brondby 3:1, and before that Viborg 4:1. In the previous round of ECL qualifiers, a triumph against Romanian FCSB was routinely achieved 2:0. The match against Midtjylland is a great chance for the club to score at least two goals again - and achieve a triumph.
The home team will certainly play in a recognizable 4-3-3 formation with three players who are in exceptional form in attack (Nygren, Ingvartsen, Osman). The only problem for Nordsjaelland could be the injury of Danish defender Jensen-Abbew.
Midtjylland, on the other hand, disappointed during August. In a dramatic match on Thursday, the team played 3:3 against the Polish team Legia - and next week away from home, they will have a difficult task to win the Europa Conference League group stage. In seven matches played during August, Midtylland lost as many as four times.
A more cautious and defensive approach is expected from the guests in a 4-4-2 formation. The defeat by Brondby last week at home (1:0) exposed all the weaknesses of Midtjylland - and Nordsjaelland is a much better opponent. Away from home, the team lost 4:1 against Lyngby in the Superliga match played on August 6... Midtjylland also has problems with discipline, their players received two red cards in the last two weeks. It is also clear that the atmosphere in the dressing room is not ideal, far from it.
Last season, in the middle of September, these teams played 1:1 in Farum... Now Nordsjaelland has a chance to get revenge, they have improved a lot for the year; the offensive performance of this team is one of the most dominant outside of the strongest leagues in Europe. Objectively, Midtjylland does not have many chances to defend effectively in this game.