**Both teams are limping into this one — 1W-4L over five matches each.** This is a battle between two sides desperately hunting for consistency in a brutal stretch. 🔥

Start just beat Kristiansund but got hammered at home by Viking and Rosenborg. Fredrikstad snagged a win over Sandefjord but then conceded four to Rosenborg and got blanked by Bodø/Glimt. The H2H is deadlocked (2-2-1), so expect a cagey affair.

Key storylines:

- **IK Start** need their home form to stabilize with J. Cornelius and H. Lorentzen leading the charge up front
- **Fredrikstad's** 3-4-3 shape will test Start's wing-heavy 5-3-2, but missing S. Sørløkk is a defensive blow
- Both squads are thin on defensive depth — Start without J. Meyer and K. Tønnessen, Fredrikstad without their injured fullback

Expected lineups:

- **IK Start**: J. Pryts, T. Strannegård, J. O. Norheim, E. D. Reitan, O. D. Toure, J. B. Husebø, E. Segberg, M. Ugland, E. Schulze, J. Cornelius, H. Lorentzen
- **Fredrikstad FK**: M. Börsheim, F. Holmé, U. Fredriksen, D. Eid, S. Rafn, F. G. Yrga-Alem, O. Öhlenschlaeger, M. Nilsson, H. Skogvold, G. Wesseh, J. Núñez

Prediction:

**1-1 draw.** Both sides are fragile; neither looks sharp enough to break through convincingly. Coin flip.