Looking to continue their fairytale start to their first top-flight campaign in over a decade, GAIS will make the trip to Orjans Vall on Saturday afternoon to face Halmstads BK in the Swedish Allsvenskan.
Bollklubben will be desperate for some home comforts following back-to-back defeats on the road most recently, whilst the Mackerels are hoping to build on a statement victory over Hacken last time out.
Match preview
Since the 3-0 triumph over Hacken on home soil on May 15, Halmstads have suffered two straight losses on their Allsvenskan travels to dent their chances of competing in the upper echelons of the division, with Saturday's hosts being convincingly beaten at Elfsborg last Friday.
Following a goalless first half between the sides at Boras Arena, the hosts' dominance in terms of possession and clear-cut chances finally paid dividends, with goals from Ahmed Qasem and Johan Larsson condemning Halmstads to their sixth loss of the term - only 15th-placed Kalmar have suffered more defeats so far.
After collecting just three points from their last five Allsvenskan matches, Halmstads have slumped to ninth position in the league standings, although the four-point gap to 14th-placed IFK Norrkoping is still admirable at this stage of the season, considering that Bollklubben avoided the relegation playoff by just a three-point margin in 2023.
Receiving the support of the club's hierarchy through thick and thin - most notably during Halmstads's relegation campaign of 2021 - Magnus Haglund is closing in on 200 competitive matches at the helm since taking charge in May 2019, with the 51-year-old possessing a 46% win percentage overall.
Alongside Saturday's opponents GAIS and fifth-placed Hammarby, Bollklubben are the only side in the Allsvenskan who are yet to experience a share of the spoils during the 2024 term, so the law of probabilities would suggest an impending stalemate between two all-or-nothing outfits this weekend.
Since taking charge in November 2021, Swedish coach Fredrik Holmberg has transformed GAIS from a third-tier outfit into one which is currently competing with the very best in the Allsvenskan on a regular basis, whilst also having one eye on a place on the continental stage in 2025.
The Mackerels are using the momentum of their back-to-back promotions to perfect effect in 2024, with Saturday's visitors to Orjans Vall having won four of their last five league fixtures after putting a sorry-looking Hacken side to sword at Gamla Ullevi last weekend.
There were worries that GAIS might struggle in the first division after last season's leading goalscorer Julius Lindberg departed to Hacken, but the 25-year-old was unable to halt his former employers' sensational run of form last time out, with a brace from Jack Cooper Love and a William Milovanovic strike securing a three-goal success for the hosts.
Heading into the final Allsvenskan fixture before the month-long summer break, GAIS are sitting pretty in third position in the top-flight standings, one point ahead of fourth-placed Mjallby, with an intriguing race for a Conference League spot beginning to take shape as the campaign progresses.
Owing to the struggles of both Halmstads and GAIS over the past decade in retaining their places at the top table of Swedish football, the most recent Allsvenskan clash between the two clubs was back in August 2011, when a Mervan Celik brace for the Mackerels secured a 2-1 win.
Team News
After playing the opening three matches of the Allsvenskan season, centre-back Andreas Johansson picked up a leg injury, with Saturday's game likely to come too soon for the 42-year-old.
The hosts still have plenty of experience at the heart of their defence in the form of 36-year-old Marcus Olsson, who is set to be partnered by Gabriel Wallentin once again.
Picking up a thigh injury during last week's loss at Elfsborg, Bollklubben's leading marksman Naeem Mohammed will miss Saturday's clash as a result, meaning that Viktor Granath should be promoted to the starting XI.
GAIS are short of options at left-back due to the knee issues of Egzon Binaku, with the Albanian yet to make an appearance for the club in the league this year.
The Mackerels' defensive options are limited further by the absence of youngster Filip Beckman, who is still recovering from a hip injury.
A key attacker in both of GAIS' recent promotions, Richard Friday is yet to make his individual return to the Allsvenskan as he fights back from a cruciate ligament injury sustained last August.
Halmstads BK possible starting lineup:
Erlandsson; Ofosu-Ayeh, Wallentin, Olsson, Nogueira; Eyjolfsson, Svedberg, Al-Ammari, Villiam Granath; Ingason, Viktor Granath
GAIS possible starting lineup:
Krasniqi; Wangberg, Noren, Frej, Cardaklija; Henriksson, Aberg, Milovanovic; Lundgren, Celik, Love
We say: Halmstads BK 1-3 GAIS
Only failing to beat league leaders Malmo over the last five matches, newly-promoted GAIS will be extremely confident of extending their winning run to three games on Saturday.
Halmstads have been off the boil in the majority of their recent league fixtures and will be punished badly if they do not perform this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
