It is the penultimate match in the first half of the group stage in the 2nd Division when AB Gladsaxe welcomes Middelfart at Gladsaxe Stadium tomorrow, Saturday 5 October 2024. The referee of the match, Kasper Madsen, whistles the match at 14:00. For AB, it is a very important game to get points from, so that the team still has a feel for the top teams and the top 6.
Middelfart is the top team and is currently in 2nd place in the 2nd division with 16 points.
The team comes to Gladsaxe with plenty of confidence after two victories in the back. It was 2-0 against Næstved and most recently 1-0 against Nykøbing FC. In the Oddset Cup, things have also gone terrific for Middelfart, who among other things knocked OB out of the cup and only lost to the Superliga team from Viborg after penalties.
AB and Middelfart traditionally play close matches. Thus, in last season’s two playoff games, it was 1-1 at Gladsaxe Stadion and 1-0 to AB in the last game of the season in Middelfart. AB’s scorer on that occasion was Agúst Hlynsson.
AB played last Friday 2-2 against HIK in Gentofte. It was a game that the AB players clearly felt as a loss of two points and everyone was exhausted after the game. The one point means that AB has a total of 12 points, which is enough for eighth place in the table.
AB will have to keep a close eye on Middelfart striker Malthe Boesen, who has currently scored five goals. Neither team has players in quarantine.
Head coach Joey Gudjonsson looks back on the game against HIK and even though the game ended 2-2, it was a good game on several parameters, which should have been closed quickly.
“It will be a difficult game because Middelbart has done really well this season. It’s a difficult team to play against. When I think about our last game away from home against HIK, we will play against a completely different opponent on Saturday. There were times in the last game when we could have closed the game, we had chances for more goals and we should have scored. I think of two situations where I think penalties are being committed. We could have scored to make it 2-0 and instead they equalized twice.
HIK made good passes, where we don’t win the balls and they score, those are the situations we have to be ready for against Middelbart. They have a strong striker up front and they play a lot of balls to him. We must be fully prepared for this.
I’ve said it before that I wasn’t happy with how we started the last game at home. We were far too passive and withdrew, we were not energetic and did not pressure the opponent. We don’t want to play like that, and therefore we really have to be ready from the start.
We have to put pressure on Middelfart and make it difficult for them. We have shown that we can press with great force and make it difficult for a skilled opponent like HIK. We have to get Middelfart to make mistakes under great pressure and focus on their weaknesses. We are working to get back on track. It is clear that some things have gone against us. So we have to create our own luck, and we are prepared to do everything to secure the victory tomorrow against Middelfart,” concludes Joey Gudjonsson.
Rasmus Brodersen says after today’s training: “We have to play against a good team. We know them from last season and they are certainly not easy to play against. We have to play on the things we are good at. We have to bring a lot of intensity into the game. We have to try to control the game and dictate it and sit on the game down the field.
We have had a good training week with a focus on Middelfart. The mood has been good, even though we lost two points in Gentofte. Our ambition is clearly that we must win such games as the one against HIK.
We play at home on Saturday and that is our fort. We are difficult to play against at home and Middelfart should also feel that,” concludes Rasmus Brodersen.
The coaching staff has the following players available:
1 Marcus Bobjerg (goalkeeper)
2 Yael Liesdek
4 Adrien Koudelka
5 Rasmus Brodersen
6 Daniel A. Pedersen
9 Emil Mygind Jensen
14 Ægir Jarl Jónasson
15 Søren Ilsøe
16 Albert Gaub-Jacobsen (goalkeeper)
17 Yushi Yamaya
18 Onesime Tembe
19 Christian Wagner
22 Ágúst Hlynsson
23 Steven Simpson
34 Mikkel Brund
35 Pachanga Kristensen
37 Frederik Lindgaard
88 O’Vonte Mullings
