PREVIEW: WEEKEND DANISH ACTION David Smith - Thursday, October 22, 2009
Benny Feilhaber and Jeremiah White will try to extend Nordsjælland's winless streak while Jamil Fearrington and Roskilde will have to topple the league leaders to end their own poor run.
AGF Aarhus - FC Nordsjælland
After suffering a bitter last-second defeat in the dying moments of added time in their previous outing, Benny Feilhaber and Aarhus will hope to bounce back against Michael Parkhurst's Nordsjælland on Monday night, who find themselves mired in a four-game losing streak in league play.
Aarhus have cooled off considerably after their blazing start, dropping three of their last four and slowly slipping to sixth place in the Superliga.
While a remarkable turnaround will be needed to once again make a run at the top of the league, coach Erik Rassmussen and his men still have hopes of entering the top three and earning a spot in next season's Europa League.
They are offered a prime chance to turn around their bad fortune of late, as they host Nordsjælland, a team which has increasingly struggled to find their footing as the season has progressed.
The one bright spot for the Wild Tigers in recent weeks has been their success in the Danish Cup, in which they have easily advanced to the quarterfinals with their victory in the midweek.
While several of the starters from Wednesday's 5-1 victory including Parkhurst can expect to return to the bench on Monday, the team will be hoping to count on the attacking play of Sibusiso Zuma, who capped off their win with a highlight reel goal which they hope will become a repeat occurrence.
Rassmussen has several possible absences from his AGF squad, with defenders Mark Howard, Kim Madsen, Ulrik Lindvkist and Anders Neilsen as well as midfielder Niels Kristensen all questionable after missing Monday's loss.
Jeremiah White should begin the game on the bench for Aarhus, however could be called upon once again for second-half substitute duties.
FC Nordsjælland are reporting no injuries or suspensions for the game.
FC Fredericia - FC Roskilde
Jamil Fearrington and Roskilde's hopes for ending their six-game slide rests on the team pulling off a major upset on Sunday afternoon, as they go on the road to face league leaders FC Fredericia, who have yet to suffer defeat in their home stadium.
Roskilde have found points hard to come by in the last six weekends, managing only a pair of draw amongst four losses in a series of games marred by wasted leads, near-comebacks and a general sense of needlessly lost chances.
While they enter the weekend still two points clear of the drop zone, they need to be wary or risk being overtaken by the previously sure-bet relegation bound teams of Frem and Kolding.
Their opponents Fredericia have steadily risen through the ranks of the First Division since their opening-day loss, and took over sole possession of the league's top spot last weekend with their tight 1-0 win over Hvidovre.
As the top of the standings is packed tight with only three points separating first from sixth place, Fredericia will be hoping that their struggling visitors will provide them with the chance for easy points to help them put create some distance from their competitors.
Both teams come into the game relatively healthy and reporting no suspensions. Fredericia's forward Rene Carlsen is still out for the duration of 2009 while a broken leg suffered during the summer.
Notes
Danny Califf has been told by coach Allan Kuhn he has no future with Midtjylland and is unlikely to play any role when the host relegation favorites HB Køge on Sunday.
Marcus Tracy will hope to make Aalborg's bench on Suday when Brøndby come to visit.
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