HAMAR (VG) Before the end of the wild run, Lillestrøm’s result could play a role in what happens with Vålerenga. HamKam’s Alexandre Miljalves believes the LSK players are “finished” this season.
- Alexandre Miljalves believes Lillestrom’s players are “finished” for the season and will therefore not give arch rivals Valerenga the help they need.
- Vålerenga, Sandefjord, Stabæk and Haugesund can all land directly. VIF takes at least a qualifying place with victory over Tromsø. If Sandefjord loses points to Lillestrøm, Vålerenga could also climb to safety.
- LSK sporting director Simon Mesfin believes the battle for sixth place is important for the club, and says they are not interested in destroying Valerenga.
- Kjetil Rekdal doesn’t think Lillestrom will “lay down” in the match against Sandefjord, but motivation could be a challenge.
– They’re going to bed now. Vålerenga cannot expect any help from Lillestrøm. There will be three points for Sandefjord, Alexandre Miljalves tells VG.
He smiles slyly. With a flower broom in hand after his final match in Preskeby, the former LSK player talks about the circus of the final series that awaits next weekend.
Vålerenga, Sandefjord, Stabæk and Haugesund. All four can move straight down.
Vålerenga will be secured with a win over Tromsø Place of qualificationPlace of qualificationThe 14th-placed team in Yeletseren will meet the winner of the first division qualifying play-off match in a double match for the right to play in Yeletserien next season. . In order to finish in a safe place, they are counting on two of the other three teams conceding points.
All Lillestrom is fighting for in Sandefjord is a sixth place finish – and it wouldn’t be any worse than seventh anyway.
Melgalvis has 116 appearances for the Canary Islands and knows the rivalry with Vålerenga well. On Sunday, Kama came close to scoring several times.
-We did everything in our power to bring down Valerenga. We couldn’t do that unfortunately, although I thought they put in a great effort in the second half before we scored. We had a lot of pressure in the penalty area and got a lot of set pieces. Melgalves says it was uncomfortable for them at times.
– Do you think Lillestrom is finished?
– Yes.
– Why?
– This is the case then.
– Do you think Lilleström goes to bed because he is a VIF?
-You know yourself that when you meet a desperate team, it is difficult to rally them. I say that with a twinkle in my eye, I. But it is not certain that they will bleed on their knees against Sandefjord.
– So a little seriousness and a little twinkle in the eye?
– Yes.
– I think they will definitely do what they can. But it’s different when there’s a knife at your throat and life or death is at stake. “Then you know you’re digging deeper when it really matters,” Melgalvis says.
A month ago, Robin Gabrielsen stood up after the match against Valerenga and spoke about the situation that arose afterward. Sandefjord-LSK’s appearance in the final round of the series could be decisive for Vålerenga.
– Let’s say Sandefjord is at home. In the last league match. Am I allowed to play that match? Gabrielsen said with a small smile.
Now that wouldn’t exactly be a problem. In a 4-4 match against Odd, Gabrielsen received his fourth yellow card of the season and was suspended.
LSK sporting director Simon Mesven says no one at Romeriksklubb is thinking about how to help Sandefjord next Sunday.
-We are playing for sixth place. We want to take it. “We are very focused on winning this match,” Mesfin tells VG.
He believes that LSK players are so professional that lack of motivation in a match that means more to the other team will not be a problem.
He also doesn’t think one should take Gabrielsen’s statement seriously.
– I think everyone who knows Robin knows that most of the time he is a prankster with a twinkle in his eye. He is one hundred percent “bird” who says what he thinks about Vålerenga. So this is not an item in the wardrobe. “We want to finish the season in the best possible way,” says Mesfin.
The Vålerenga camp will only focus on their match against Tromsø and will not care what the arch rival can do.
-I don’t care about that much. Lillestrom can do whatever he wants. If it’s important to them that Vålerenga moves down, they can keep doing what they’re doing, Fredrik Oldrup Jensen tells VG.
Valerenga coach Geir Bak – who spent three-and-a-half years at Lillestrom until this summer – suspects this has something to do with it:
– It’s hard to imagine that highly professional players would do that. Take Germund Ossen as an example. “I never saw him go to the training field or to any match without the ambition to win,” Baki says.
Kjetil Rekdal, who followed the round in the VGTV studio on Sunday, doesn’t think LSK will face Sandefjord.
-I can never imagine footballers doing that. Imagine what a scandal it would be for a club as rich in tradition as Lillestrom. Then you can just cancel the entire Lillestrom Gym. But whether they will be able to motivate them to play their best is another matter, says Reykdal.
Elite series
- Qualifying for the Champions League
- Conference League Playoffs
- Qualifying for relegation
- Landing
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