Sarpsborg 08 FF v Sandefjord — prediction, stats and goal analysis

Eliteserien · Sunday, 16 August 2026 · 16:00. Final score 1–2 (half-time 1–1). Before kick-off we rated it 55% over 2.5 goals — the match finished with 3, so that call landed. That rating was frozen into a version-controlled ledger before the game and has not been touched since.

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Our ratings for this match

MarketYesNoOur call
Over 2.5 goals55%45%Over
Over 3.5 goals30%70%no pick
Both teams to score58%42%Yes

The result model puts Sarpsborg 08 FF at 49%, the draw at 26% and Sandefjord at 25%, from expected goals of 1.49 and 0.99.

Bookmaker prices and where we differ

MarketPriceImpliedOur ratingEdge
Over 2.5 goals1.5063%55%-8%
Under 2.5 goals2.5038%45%+8%
Both teams to score1.5361%58%-3%

Implied percentages have the bookmaker's margin removed, so they add to 100 and can be compared with our rating directly. Edge is simply the gap between the two. A positive edge means our model thinks the outcome is likelier than the price suggests — it is not a tip, and a high probability with a negative edge is a poor bet however safe it looks. Prices are a pre-match snapshot from a single bookmaker and move constantly.

Match odds: Sarpsborg 08 FF 1.75, draw 4.00, Sandefjord 4.20.

How we got this number

The league sets the starting point. Eliteserien has produced over 2.5 goals in 62% of its matches, and that is where a team with no record of its own would sit.

Each side's own record. Sarpsborg 08 FF have 8 in 16 this season (2 of 7 at home), Sandefjord 7 in 16 (5 of 8 away). Those records are pulled toward the league rate with the weight of about 32 matches — enough that two or three unusual games cannot swing a rating — giving 54% and 57%.

The mix. Weighted 40% home side, 40% away side and 20% league — the split that beat every alternative across 30,582 matches of testing — that gives 57%.

Head to head. These sides have met 5 times in three years, producing over 2.5 goals in 80%. That nudges the number 10% of the way toward the head-to-head pattern — deliberately small, because fixtures change more than reputations do — landing on 59%.

Goal expectation. Separately a Poisson model built from attack and defence strength — using real expected-goals data where the league has it — puts this match at 45%, from expected goals of 1.49 for Sarpsborg 08 FF and 0.99 for Sandefjord. Folding in 30% of that view gives 55%.

This breakdown is generated from the same inputs the rating uses, so it cannot describe a calculation we did not perform. The full model is set out in the methodology.

Season form

TeamGamesO2.5O3.5BTTS
Sarpsborg 08 FF1650%19%56%
Sandefjord1644%19%44%

Head to head

22 Mar 26Sandefjord 0–2 Sarpsborg 08 FFU2.5
14 Sept 25Sarpsborg 08 FF 2–1 SandefjordO2.5
26 Jul 25Sandefjord 3–2 Sarpsborg 08 FFO2.5
7 May 25Sarpsborg 08 FF 3–1 SandefjordO2.5
4 Aug 24Sarpsborg 08 FF 2–1 SandefjordO2.5
12 May 24Sandefjord 4–1 Sarpsborg 08 FFO2.5

More: Sarpsborg 08 FF season stats · Sandefjord season stats · Eliteserien table and form. Ratings are calibrated probabilities, not tips — a 60% call is expected to miss two times in five.