A key clash at the top end of the Swedish Allsvenskan table will take place on Saturday, as Mjallby AIF welcome Malmo to Strandvallen.
The visitors currently sit at the summit of the division in their title defence with a seven-point lead over second-placed Djurgardens IF and an eight-point lead over Saturday's hosts.
Match preview
Mjallby AIF return to Strandvallen on Saturday with the aim of narrowing their gap to the top of the Swedish Allsvenskan table, having moved back up to third spot with three consecutive victories heading into the weekend.
Following a 10th-placed finish in the 16-team division last year, the Solvesborg outfit enjoyed an eye-catching start to the new term, establishing themselves amongst the frontrunners as they collected 17 points from their first nine outings, winning five of those while only suffering two defeats.
While their momentum was then halted by back-to-back defeats in May, Anders Torstensson's side returned to their best before the June break, bouncing back with 2-1 triumphs over Hacken and Varnamo to move within touching distance of the top three.
They would pick up where they left off on their return to action last weekend too, hosting Sirius on Saturday and picking up an eighth three-point haul of the season in an eventful contest, eventually winning 3-2 thanks to Adam Stahl's 97th-minute penalty having been previously pegged back six minutes from time after Herman Johansson put them 2-1 up with a second-half brace.
Thanks to that latest triumph, Mjallby AIF find themselves back in third spot with momentum on their side, and now only trailing second-placed Djurgardens IF by two points and Malmo in top spot by eight, they will look to further strengthen their position in the leading pack with what would be a major scalp at the weekend.
That will be no easy task, though, as the visitors arrive aiming to further extend their own unbeaten streak and their lead at the summit, having enjoyed a strong start to their latest title defence.
After regaining the Allsvenskan trophy by the barest of margins in 2023, the 23rd in their history, Malmo have started the new campaign in dominant fashion, immediately establishing themselves as leaders having won 11 of their first 14 games while only suffering one defeat.
That singular defeat came in early May, ending a perfect start to the campaign, and after winning four of the next five outings either side of a 2-2 draw with Hacken, Di Blae headed into the break on the back of a draw by the same scoreline away at Brommapojkarna, only leaving with a share of the points thanks to Derek Cornelius's 96th-minute leveller.
On their return to action last weekend, Henrik Rydstrom's side sat seven points clear at the top of the table ahead of a meeting with Halmstad on Sunday, and they made no mistake in maintaining that gap, dishing out a 5-1 beating at Eleda Stadion as Anders Christiansen and Isaac Kiese Thelin had them 2-1 up at the interval and Erik Botheim doubled the lead before Hugo Bolin added a brace in the dying embers.
While they do still boast a healthy lead in top spot, Malmo have played a game more than second-placed Djurgardens and face a tricky test against Mjallby on Saturday, and they will be keen to further strengthen their title bid with another crucial win at the weekend.
Team News
Mjallby will remain without Adam Petersson due to a long-term injury, while Silas Nwankwo should also remain sidelined having missed their last three matches.
They could be unchanged from last week's dramatic 3-2 victory, with Herman Johansson continuing on the right-hand side of their 3-4-3 setup after his brace, while Adam Stahl, who netted the decisive goal from the penalty spot, will line up on the other flank.
Jacob Bergstrom will continue to lead the line, having hit a team-high tally of six goals so far this season, while Jesper Gustavsson and Nicklas Rojkjaer are mainstays in the midfield.
Malmo may also come into Saturday's meeting with an unchanged starting XI from last weekend after their 5-1 thrashing of Halmstad, although Hugo Bolin did lay a strong claim to come in from the start after netting a late brace off the bench.
In their 4-4-2 shape, Erik Botheim and Isaac Kiese Thelin will both come in with plenty of confidence up front, having both got on the scoresheet last time out to move onto 11 and 14 goals respectively for the season.
Sebastian Nanasi and Anders Christiansen will offer further threat on the wings, while 19-year-old Nils Zatterstrom should again join Pontus Jansson at the heart of a back four with key centre-back Derek Cornelius unlikely to return in time to feature after turning out for Canada at the Copa America.
Mjallby AIF possible starting lineup:
Tornqvist; Wilkstrom, Rosler, Pettersson; Johansson, Gustavsson, Rojkjaer, Stahl; Gustafson, Bergstrom, Jagne
Malmo possible starting lineup:
Dahlin; Larsen, Jansson, Zatterstrom, Olsson; Christiansen, Johnsen, Bolin, Nanasi; Botheim, Thelin
We say: Mjallby AIF 1-3 Malmo
Mjallby have enjoyed a fine season thus far and will head into the weekend with the confidence to cause Malmo problems, but on the back of a 5-1 victory last time out, we see the defending champions being too strong and extending their lead at the summit of the table.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
