OBOS-ligaen - Round 3
Vålerenga - Stabæk 1-3
Kongsvinger - Egersund 3-3
Mjøndalen - Start 1-1
Moss - Ranheim 2-1
Aalesund - Lyn 0-3
Bryne - Levanger 0-1
Sandnes Ulf - Raufoss 2-0
Åsane - Sogndal 1-1
Table after round 3
Not the best start to the season for Vålerenga. They seem to have som kind of bad spell on them with playing at home. They've only won 3 out of the last 23 home matches.. On Saturday we'll probably have the biggest match through the whole season in Norway. Not just in OBOS-ligaen. But most likely in Norwegian football as a whole. For the first time since 2009, we'll have a league match between the classic Oslo rivals Lyn and Vålerenga. And because Lyn's current home stadium isn't available until May, it will be played at the national stadium Ullevaal. Ullevaal was Lyns stadium from its opening in 1926 until they were relegated from Eliteserien back in 2009. Having a majority ownership in the stadium until the early 90s. And selling their last shares in 2007. During Lyn's last spell as a regular Eliteserien club between 1999 and 2009. They also shared the stadium with their rivals Vålerenga. Having opened the ticket sales on the 2nd of April, the derby was sold out in less than 48 hours. While the capacity at Ullevaal is usually 27 000. It's limited to 24 600 in this match due to some scaffolding on one of the stands. Still, this will be the most visited match ever in OBOS-ligaen. And most visited league match since Vålerenga - Rosenborg the fall of 2005. It will also be the 6th most visited league match in Norway ever.
And seeing that no other stadium got such a big capacity, nor plans to expand capacity to such numbers. And that neither Vålerenga nor Lyn plays at Ullevaal permanently anymore. It will most likely be the most visited league match in Norway for the foreseeable future. Unless Vålerenga for some reason decides and is allowed to move their home match in August to Ullevaal as well.
Anyways, it will for sure bring out a lot of nostalgic feelings for every Lyn and Vålerenga fan this weekend. During their last spell in Eliteserien, Lyn had a good grip on the derby. Winning 10 and drawing 5 matches between 2002 and 2009 until they lost in the last derby match played in September 2009. And it was often referred to as the derby ghost.
