Haugesund vs Stabaek: Promotion Heavyweights Collide at Haugesund Sparebank Arena
There are big Saturdays in the 1. Division, and then there is this one. On 3 October at 16:00, Haugesund Sparebank Arena hosts a clash between two sides who have spent the season making the rest of Norwegian second-tier football look ordinary. Haugesund have 17 wins from 23 games; Stabaek have 14 and refuse to go away.
Home Comforts and a Goal Machine
Haugesund arrive in sparkling form. Their last five outings read like a statement of intent: a 4-2 win over Strommen, a 4-1 demolition at Moss, a 4-0 cup romp at Djerv, 2-0 against Sogndal and 2-0 at Bryne. That is 16 goals scored and just three conceded across the run, and only one of those five matches failed to produce at least four goals.
Home soil has been a fortress. Nine wins from 11 at Haugesund Sparebank Arena, 35 goals scored (3.2 a game) and only 13 conceded. Not once have they failed to score all season. They have also been devastating after the hour mark, with 17 of their 72 goals arriving between the 61st and 75th minutes, so any visitor leaving the door ajar in the second half is playing with fire.
Stabaek: Dangerous Visitors
Stabaek, though, are no pushovers. With 57 goals scored and a stingy 29 conceded, they boast the tighter defence of the two, and their eight clean sheets beat Haugesund’s six. Their form line is a rollercoaster, with a seven-match winning streak earlier in the campaign, but they have stumbled recently, losing 2-3 to Moss and 0-2 at Bryne before grinding out a 2-1 win over Sogndal and exiting the cup at Pors Grenland after extra time.
Away from home, Stabaek are good rather than great: five wins and three draws from 12, averaging two goals per game. They tend to save their best for late on, with 13 goals in the final 15 minutes, but they also pick up bookings late, with 13 of their yellows coming in the closing stages. Expect a physical, tense finish if the margin is tight.
History Favours the Visitors
Here is the sting in the tail for the hosts. Stabaek won the reverse fixture 3-2 in April, and they have taken the last three meetings in all competitions, including a 2-1 NM Cupen win in 2025. Haugesund’s last victory over them came in December 2023, a 3-0 win in the Eliteserien. There is a score to settle.
What to Expect
Haugesund’s firepower and home record make them favourites, yet Stabaek’s defensive solidity and recent habit of beating them make this far from a foregone conclusion. Haugesund’s leaky late-game record, with 30% of their goals conceded in the final 15 minutes, gives Stabaek hope of a sting in the tail. Expect goals, expect drama, and expect Haugesund Sparebank Arena to be rocking.
Kickoff: Saturday 3 October, 16:00 (Europe/Oslo), Haugesund Sparebank Arena.
