Old Friends Meet as Lillestrøm Visit Jotun Arena

Sandefjord host Lillestrøm at Jotun Arena on Sunday at 5 pm, in a game full of familiar faces. Jakob Dunsby has promised no favours for his former team-mate Filip Ottosson and is calling on the home crowd to match the visiting fans.

Old friends on opposite sides

The fixture has a strong reunion theme. Lillestrøm arrive with three former Sandefjord players and a former Sandefjord coach in their ranks. Hans Erik Ødegaard, who once led Sandefjord, is now in charge of the visitors. His squad includes Stian Kristiansen and Sander Moen Foss, as well as Filip Ottosson.

Ottosson's meeting with Sandefjord's Jakob Dunsby is one of the more personal storylines. The two were described by the club as thick as thieves when they were team-mates in Sandefjord. Now they will line up in opposite halves of the pitch.

The club has said it hopes the reunion brings a strong performance from the home side in blue.

Dunsby: no wedding gift on offer

Dunsby was smiling as he previewed the game, but his message was serious. He said his focus is on taking three points and delivering a good performance against Lillestrøm. There would be no wedding gift for his old team-mate, he joked. Dunsby has a wedding to attend himself and said he would put in a little extra because of it.

He also pointed to the part the crowd can play. When Sandefjord manage to fill the stadium, he said, the team tends to produce good matches, and the atmosphere helps give them that little extra. He noted the club has seen some games with very good atmosphere at Jotun Arena this year. Lillestrøm are also bringing a large travelling support, and Dunsby said the home fans will have to match them.

What the table says

The league table gives the match extra weight. Lillestrøm sit sixth in Eliteserien with 33 points from 22 games. Sandefjord are 12th on 24 points, also after 22 games. That is a nine-point gap between the sides, and the hosts will be eager to close it.

At the other end, Valerenga are 14th on 23 points, Kristiansund 15th on 19 and Start bottom on 16. Every point at home is therefore valuable for Sandefjord. Lillestrøm, for their part, are chasing the teams above them in the top half.

A busy week at Jotun Arena

The Lillestrøm game is the main event in a week with plenty happening at the stadium. Sandefjord's second team, SF 2, hosted Råde on Monday. The club has also invited all grassroots clubs in Vestfold and the surrounding area to a free club night at Jotun Arena.

Earlier in the week the arena also hosted a special day for the Tønsberg FK G14 team. The club arranged it in cooperation with SpareBank 1 Sør-Norge, giving the local side a full afternoon at Jotun Arena.

Kick-off against Lillestrøm is at 5 pm on Sunday, and the club has said it is looking forward to the game.

Sources: sandefjordfotball.no