AB Must Not Rest on Their Laurels

The arms have barely come down after Wednesday’s impressive performance against Superliga side Sønderjyske, as AB Gladsaxe secured a 3-1 victory in the Betano Pokalen. Now, a new and very important Betinia Liga match awaits, as Esbjerg fB visit Gladsaxe Stadion on Saturday, September 19, 2026, with kickoff at 14:00.

AB cannot afford to rest on their laurels or be satisfied with advancing in the Betano Pokalen, as it does not change the fact that AB have lost their last three league matches.

However, the impressive cup victory must have given the team confidence and belief in their abilities, meaning they can look ahead to the clash with Esbjerg fB with a certain degree of optimism.

Esbjerg fB have not made the start to the season they had hoped for and currently sit 11th in the table with five points. AB are just above Esbjerg in 10th place with six points.

That means two teams will be going all out for points in Saturday’s clash. Esbjerg fB drew 2-2 at home against HB Køge in their most recent league match at Blue Water Arena. In midweek, Esbjerg travelled to neighboring Gentofte, where they secured a big 5-0 victory over HIK at Gentofte Sportspark in the Betano Pokalen.

Looking Back

Esbjerg fB and AB have faced each other countless times over the years, with a long-standing historical rivalry between the two clubs.

The first meeting took place on August 20, 1950, in Copenhagen, with AB winning 5-0. It was the opening match of the 1950/51 season, in which AB went on to convincingly win the Danish championship after 18 matches.

The two most recent meetings came during the 2023/24 season. In April 2024, AB won 2-1 at Gladsaxe Stadion, with goals from Darren Sidoel and O’Vonte Mullings. In May 2024, Esbjerg responded with a 6-0 victory in Esbjerg.

Following that match, Esbjerg fB were promoted to the 1st Division, where they challenged for direct promotion to the Superliga during that season, but fell short in the decisive rounds. Last season, Esbjerg fB finished third.

Marco Vesterholm would like to add another victory before the international break: It would be a good way – and a good feeling – to go into the international break, especially after the game against Sønderjyske, and if we can also get a good result against Esbjerg. I think it will be a game where both teams really want it. Esbjerg need a win just as much as we do, and they also got a win in the cup, so I think it will be a good game.

It feels a little bit like the wind is changing after three consecutive defeats and then the cup win. We have played and done the right things, and at some point, things have to turn around. So hopefully that happened against Sønderjyske. There were certainly some good performances from all the players, and I hope we can take that mindset into the game against Esbjerg.

We know Esbjerg a little bit – we played against them in the 2nd Division. I think they should probably be a little higher in the table based on their points. It will likely be a close game, and they are probably just as focused on the fundamentals – desire and determination. They have some good physical players, and especially on second balls, they tend to play the ball a little longer.

They want to play, and they have some good players on the ball as well as out wide. So we need to be sharp when it comes to their second balls and prevent them from progressing further up the pitch, and we also need to be alert to the individual quality of their players.

I think we really want to win, just like we did on Wednesday, and also do it here at Gladsaxe Stadion in front of all our fans. All things considered, it is much better to come back from the break with two wins rather than three defeats. So that needs to be visible in us and in the way we play.”

Head coach Fannar Berg Gunnólfsson says the players will once again be looking to find the back of the net:

We have played good football, but the wins haven’t come our way. We would have liked to have picked up more wins, but that’s football as well. In most of the games, though, we have been proud of our performances.

In our last cup game against Sønderjyske, we took our chances when they came and came away with the win – and we did it really well. We’ll take that with us into the game against Esbjerg. It’s a good opportunity for us to continue running a lot, keep pressing and keep pushing in search of plenty of goals.

We are doing a lot of things right, and I’m sure the players will once again create a strong team performance and believe in what they can achieve together. We have been unlucky in some games that we haven’t won. That’s football as well – not everything falls in your favor.

Even when we don’t win, we can usually be proud of our performance. I’m really looking forward to the game tomorrow and to seeing AB play with energy against Esbjerg at home.”