Silkeborg welcome newly-promoted Vejle to JYSK Park on Friday evening as the third round of Danish Superliga fixtures gets underway.
Having both lost each of their opening two matches while conceding four goals, the Jutland rivals will be eager to get off the mark this week.
Match preview
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Silkeborg suffered a 2-1 defeat to Brondby in their first match of the campaign, despite racking up a whopping 23 shots on home soil, as the visitors cancelled out Tonni Adamsen's fifth-minute goal to snatch all three points.
Last weekend, SIF were beaten 2-0 by FC Midtjylland following a couple of goals for the hosts in first-half stoppage time, while Kent Nielsen's side managed just two attempts on target as they struggled to compete with the Wolves.
As a result, Silkeborg find themselves rock bottom of the Danish Superliga table after two matches, having conceded twice in both of their games this term while scoring a solitary goal in reply.
After finishing just one point outside the top six in the 2022-23 regular season, SIF added three wins, three draws and four losses to their tally during the post-season, ending the campaign in iffy form.
Silkeborg are now competing in their third successive top-flight season after gaining promotion in 2020-21, but Nielsen's men may not experience a fourth campaign in the Superliga if they continue to produce below-par results.
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Vejle are back in the Superliga following a one-year absence, but the newcomers have not experienced a happy return to the top flight up to now, starting their comeback campaign with back-to-back defeats.
The Reds managed a solitary attempt on target while seeing just 27% possession as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Aarhus on the opening weekend, while 19-year-old midfielder Tobias Lauritsen was sent off on his top-flight debut.
Although Vejle came from behind on two occasions against Copenhagen last weekend, the reigning Superliga champions eventually came out on top, with Diogo Goncalves scoring a second-half penalty to snatch a 3-2 win for his side.
Ivan Prelec's men can take confidence from their performance against the champions, but they cannot afford to dwell on what could have been as they prepare for another tricky top-flight test on Friday.
It is worth remembering that Vejle lost just five of their 32 league games en route to securing the second-tier title last term, finishing nine points clear of Hvidovre, and the Reds also achieved the best defensive record in the division, conceding 11 goals fewer than their nearest rivals.
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Team News
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Silkeborg manager Kent Nielsen utilised a 4-3-2-1 formation in the opening two matches, with Tonni Adamsen leading the line and Fredrik Carlsen offering attacking support to the lone striker.
At the opposite end of the pitch, right-back Oliver Sonne and left-back Lukas Engel are expected to retain their place in the starting XI on Friday, while Tobias Salquist and Alexander Busch should line up at centre-back.
As for Vejle, Tobias Lauritsen is suspended after receiving a straight red card on the opening weekend, meaning that Ebenezer Ofori will likely join Hamza Barry in the visitors' engine room.
Ivan Prelec is expected to stick with the 3-4-2-1 formation that caused Copenhagen plenty of problems last time out, with Musa Juwara and Kristian Kirkegaard operating behind striker German Onugkha.
Silkeborg possible starting lineup:
Larsen; Sonne, Salquist, Busch, Engel; Mattsson, Brink, Klynge; Carlsen, Kusk; Adamsen
Vejle possible starting lineup:
Trott; Kolinger, Albentosa, Provstgaard; Sorensen, Barry, Ofori, Albornoz; Juwara, Kirkegaard; Onugkha
We say: Silkeborg 1-1 Vejle
Given that neither side has managed to open their account in 2023-24, we expect Friday's clash to be a tense and cagey affair, resulting in a low-scoring draw between Silkeborg and Vejle.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
