Viking North Utsire completed a straightforward 6-0 aggregate passage through the fourth round of the Ultimate League Cup with a second straight 3-0 win over Dresden FC last Friday. Teenage striker Zlatan Austrheim fired the opener early on before goals in each half from Haakon Austrheim took his tally to 12 in the competition so far this season. A knock to goalkeeper Jens Hovland in stoppage time was a worry, but the 8m-rated stopper was fortunately fine to play at Team Talbot this Monday, in an immediate return fixture from a week earlier.

Unlike a week beforehand, this time Viking put in the better performance of the two sides and were rewarded with a 2-0 home victory. Haakon Austrheim bagged his 13th goal of the season but first in the league to give the Utsirans an early lead, before David Austrheim drove home his 9th. A penalty miss from Birger Klovning took some of the gloss of the second half, but their second league win of the term means Viking still vault to 4th place in Division 1a as the second half of the Season 50 campaign gets underway.

The Norsemen are away at second-placed Ichnusa next Monday, but first comes the first straight knockout stage of this season's Cup. And it is familiar foes, with Sporting Mancunia coming out of the hat with Viking for what will be their ninth competitive meeting, though first since Season 44 after sharing a division four times between summer 2016 and autumn 2017. Their last three encounters have all ended 1-1, and the two before that 1-0 to the Mancunians, so it's fair to assume the bookies won't be laying short odds on a goal-fest.