Kongsvinger come into the opener on the back of a lively 3-3 draw away to Hammarby IF and a run that has featured four draws and one win from their last six competitive matches. They have also gone five games without a win since the 1-0 success at Lyn FK in October, so results have not been especially stable, but the recent scorelines have certainly leaned toward open contests.
Bryne FK have had a similarly mixed spell, losing 3-4 at Egersund in their most recent outing and suffering defeats to SK Brann and in the cup draw with Rosenborg BK before that. Even so, their away record in the broader recent sample includes the 1-0 win at Aalesunds FK in December, which is a reminder that they can still compete on the road, although their last two away matches produced seven goals and no clean sheet.
The head-to-head record also leans toward chances at both ends and a decent goal count, with seven of the last seven meetings producing both teams to score and four of the last five going over 2.5 goals. Kongsvinger have failed to keep a clean sheet in seven straight meetings with Bryne, while Bryne have conceded in 12 in a row against this opponent, which suits an open game more than a tight start to the season.
That pattern fits the broader numbers too, with Kongsvinger averaging 2.0 xG and Bryne 1.4 in the projection, while the league home and away benchmarks sit around 1.6 and 1.4 goals per match respectively. A 2-1 scoreline does not look far-fetched, though the stronger message from the recent evidence is simply that both sides have been involved in high-scoring matches often enough for another three-goal game to be realistic.
My prediction is Over 2.5 Goals at 67/100. Kongsvinger have gone over 2.5 goals in seven straight games, Bryne have done the same in five straight, and their head-to-head has landed above that line in four of the last five meetings. Both teams have also scored in seven consecutive H2Hs, so even if the projected 2-1 finish is narrow, the overall goal trend still favours this line.
