Two sides with contrasting forms and ambitions this season will face off this week when Varnamo take on the reigning Allsvenskan champions Hacken at Finnvedsvallen on Saturday.
Varnamo's primary focus will be on avoiding the drop this season, while Hacken will be aiming to maintain the pressure on Elfsborg at the top and may even be able to overtake them as we enter the second half of the campaign.
Match preview
Having avoided the relegation scrap by just six points last term, Varnamo look set to battle against another potential drop this season as they come into this match in 12th place and just three points above AIK in 14th.
The hosts held on to a point in their last match, drawing 2-2 to fifth-placed Halmstad, though Kim Hellberg would have been disappointed not to have got more from the tie as he watched his side squander a two-goal lead.
Gustav Engvall continued his rich vein of form, bagging a brace before the half-hour mark, but a Victor Eriksson own goal and a late strike by Naeem Mohammed saw Hellberg's side hanging on nervously in the end, and almost lucky to have got anything from the match.
They now head back home, where form seems to have deserted them of late as they come into this match on a three-match losing streak while managing just two wins in seven matches across the first half of the season.
Historical results also suggest that Varnamo are likely to struggle in this match, as they have lost to this opponent four times in succession since 2018, including a 3-1 loss in the reverse fixture back in April this year.
Meanwhile, after securing the title by a six-point margin last season, it has not been plain sailing for Per-Mathias Hogmo's men this term as they find themselves in the midst of a heated battle at the top of the league.
However, last week was a good one for them as they regained second place with a 4-2 win over IF Brommapojkarna and won their Champions League qualifier against The New Saints, while Malmo lost to Djurgarden and Elfsorg dropped points against 15th-placed IFK Goteborg.
That result means that Hacken trail Elfsborg by a single point and are also just one point above Malmo in third, but they have played a game more than both those sides.
Hacken's away form has been their downfall this season as they currently hold the third-best record behind Elfsborg and Malmo, with 14 points taken from a possible 24, though they are unbeaten in their last three matches on the road, winning two and drawing the other.
With an incredible record against this opponent and the league leaders set to contest a tricky fixture against Djurgarden, it all seems to be lining up nicely for Hacken, and it would come as little surprise if we saw the league lead changing hands in their favour this weekend.
Team News
Eriksson's woeful afternoon against Halmstad got worse after he was shown his fifth yellow card of the season in the 92nd minute, which means that he will have to sit this one out through suspension.
Engvall has now moved to seven goals for the season, leaving him fourth in the goalscorer rankings, and he will continue upfront with Albion Ademi and Ajdin Zeljkovic.
Johan Hammar and Blair Turgott have shaken off the injuries they were carrying in recent weeks and will be eligible for selection, while Amane Romeo is still a few weeks away from returning.
Benie Traore's move to the newly-promoted English Premier League outfit Sheffield United means that the frontline will likely be made up of Tobias Sana, Filip Trpcevski, and Ibrahim Sadiq.
Varnamo possible starting lineup:
Voytekhovich; Larsson, Vilar, Grozdanic; Winsth, Johansson, Wenderson, Lohikangas; Engvall, Ademi, Zeljkovic
Hacken possible starting lineup:
Abrahamsson; Totland, Tebo, Hovland, Lund; Rygaard, Sa. Gustafson, Si. Gustafson; Sadiq, Trpcevski, Sana
We say: Varnamo 1-3 Hacken
Having lost their last three home games, it is difficult to make much of a case for the hosts in this one, especially when we consider that their opponents are on a four-match winning streak in all competitions. We fancy the visitors to win this one fairly comfortably.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
