Molde

Lower League Mainstay

A group led by Klaus Daae Andersen founded Molde FK on June 19, 1911. The club, starting in 1912, was called International. They changed their name to Molde Fotballklubb in 1915 The first top flight season in the Molde team stats was in 1939-40, but the German occupation shut the season down. In 1947–48, which was the first post-war season, Molde went down to the second division.

Molde mostly languished in the lower tiers for the next few decades. However, they pulled off an incredible upset over powerhouses Fredrikstad by eliminating them from the third round of the 1964 Norwegian Cup. In 1974, Molde returned to the top flight and surprisingly led the league for nearly half of the season. They very nearly won the league title in their first season back in the top flight but narrowly missed out on the final day of the season.

Between 1978 and 1984, Molde got relegated from the first division in the even-numbered years and earned promotion back to the first tier in the odd-numbered years. The first Norwegian cup final in the Molde team stats was in 1982, but they lost 3-2 to Brann. Since then, Molde have mostly established themselves in the top division and have become one of the best Norwegian clubs.

First Major Trophy and Champions League Appearance

In 1987, Molde only needed a draw on the final matchday to win the league title, but fell 2-0 to Moss. Molde fell on financial difficulties in 1993 after a relegation but businessmen Kjell Inge Rokke and Bjorn Rune Gjelsten saved the club from ruin. In 1994, Molde managed promotion back to the top flight. Plus, they won their first-ever Norwegian Cup in the Molde team stats.

One of Molde’s best-ever players, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, scored 31 goals in 42 matches for Molde in 1995 and 1996. Manchester United bought the striker in July 1996. In the 1998 season, Molde went unbeaten in the first 21 matches of the season. That remained a Norwegian record until 2009 but they still only managed to finish in second place.

In 1999, Molde became the team from the smallest city to qualify for the Champions League group stage. They played European giants like Real Madrid, Porto and Olympiacos but finished in last place in their group.

Molde lifted their second Norwegian Cup trophy in 2005 as they beat Lillestrom in extra time in the final. In 2006, Molde went back down to the second division, but new coach Kjell Jonevret guided them back to immediate promotion.

One of Norway’s Top Clubs

In 2011, Solskjær returned to Molde to become their head coach. In his first season, Molde won their first-ever top flight title and successfully defended their title in 2012. Under Solskjær, Molde also won the 2013 Norwegian Cup but he left to manage Cardiff City soon after.

Still, Molde won their first-ever domestic double under manager Tor Ole Skullerud in 2014. Skullerud was fired the next year due to a string of poor performances, though, and Solskjær returned once again. Solskjær left to join Manchester United as caretaker manager in 2018 and Molde ended up winning their fourth league title under Erling Moe in 2019. They also won the Eliteserien and Norwegian Cup in 2022.

Betting advice typically mentions that Molde are top contender to win the Eliteserien year-after-year. However, they haven’t fared as well in European competitions. They’ve only ever gone as far as the Europa League round of 16. Be cautious, then, when taking Molde’s Europa League odds in 2023-24.