IK Start vs Rosenborg BK prediction 18.07.2026 | Eliteserien

IK Start return to Sparebanken Sor Arena looking to end a poor run of form in the Eliteserien.

Azar Karadas’s side slipped to a 2:1 defeat against Brann in their most recent fixture, despite taking the lead through Hakon Lorentzen early in the second half.

That defeat leaves Start bottom of the Eliteserien standings, with just seven points collected from their opening 13 league matches. IK lost four of their last five games, with just one win picked up this season. 

Defensive issues have been a major problem for the hosts, who have already conceded 30 goals in the Eliterserien this year. As a consequence, high-scoring outcomes have been frequent with over 2.5 goals scored in seven of their last nine fixtures. 

Head coach Karadas has some injury worries this week. Kristoffer Tonnessen, Johan Meyer, Filip Stromland Lien and Marius Nordal are likely to miss out for the home side.

Rosenborg make the trip to Kristiansand looking to build on a morale-boosting 3:0 victory against Kristiansund BK last weekend. 

Freyr Alexandersson’s men were worthy winners at Lerkendal Stadion. First-half goals from Jonas Svensson and David Duris put Rosenborg in control before Amin Chiakha added a third after the break to secure a comfortable home win.

Despite that victory, the visitors remain 13th in the standings with just 12 points picked up from 12 games played this season. 

After a largely miserable first-half to the season, Rosenborg have picked up some form, with a 2:1 friendly victory against Molde before last weekend’s impressive home success.

Like the home side, Rosenborg’s recent results have delivered in the goal markets. At least three goals were scored in five of their last seven fixtures. 

Head coach Alexandersson has no major new injury concerns reported. Dino Islamovic should lead the line, while Amin Chiakha and Emil Konradsen Ceide are also pushing to feature in attacking areas.