IK Start Kristiansand

vs

Fredrikstad FK

Preview

IK Start Kristiansand

• IK Start Kristiansand are 16th in Eliteserien 2026 with 10 points from 16 games.
• Kristiansand's IK Start welcome Fredrikstad FK to the Sparebanken Norge Arena in Norway on Saturday in an Eliteserien 2026 fixture which will surely be a survival clash when the dust settles.
• Azar Karadas has done a steady job since taking over as head coach in February 2024 and he's constructed a side that should be solid enough to stay in the division.
• Start's record of 1 win, 3 draws and 3 losses at home this season is reasonable given they have only averaged 0.86 goals scored and 1.86 goals conceded per game here.
• Start enter this game in mixed form after winning 2-1 away to Kristiansund BK and then losing 3-0 at home to Viking FK.

Fredrikstad FK

• Fredrikstad FK are 11th in the same table with 17 points from 15 matches.
• Fredrikstad are also in mixed condition with 1 win and 4 defeats in their last 5 across all competitions.
• Kevin Nicol has done a similar job in the short time he has been at the club, taking over on 19th May 2026, but his men will be a much tougher nut to crack.

Head-to-Head

• The head-to-head tells us that Fredrikstad have the psychological edge after beating Start 2-1 in Eliteserien 2026 at Fredrikstad Stadion two months ago.
• They are unbeaten in 2 with 1 win and 1 draw, so Start have it all to do here.

Betting Insights

• The stats make this a close call with the bookies making Start the narrow favorites at 2.2, Fredrikstad 3.1 and the draw 3.45.
• Over 2.5 goals at 1.8 and Both Teams To Score at 1.62 are a bit too high for our liking given the stats.

Key Players

• Neither side has standout players that need to be stopped, so this will be a game of chess between the coaches.
• Start's 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 formation should provide width and stretch the field, but Fredrikstad are a compact unit who can make the game a chess match by sitting deep and then countering.

Prediction