 Molde became the first defending champion in Norway to lose the first four matches of the season, with their manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær stating that the club wouldn't be able to defend the title.After collecting two points in the first seven matches, Molde won their first match 4–1 against local rivals Aalesund.Aalesund had an impressing season opener, by winning four of the first four matches, and after the loss against Molde they won 7–1 against Lillestrøm with Abderrazak Hamdallah scoring a hat-trick, and was positioned second after nine matches.