Preview of the Final Round of the Allsvenskan

The top two leagues in Sweden have not been short of drama this year, with the Superettan’s relegation and promotion spots going down to the wire and beyond, and the Allsvenskan following suit. Round 30 of the highest league in Sweden sees all 8 matches kick off at 3pm on Sunday November 1st (Central European Time). This equates to 1am Sunday morning in Sydney time, and something else for you in USA land.

A quick look at the table alerts our attention to a number of interesting final-round scenarios and shows us that 3 very important positions are up for grabs – obviously the championship (AIK Stockholm lead IFK Goteborg by 1 point), 3rd place and the final European qualification place (Elfsborg leads a now Rasmus Elm-less Kalmar by 2 points) and most importantly 14th place, which does not lead to automatic relegation, but a playoff against the 3rd best team in the Superettan (that is, the greatest team in the world – Assyriska) currently occupied by Stockholm based Djurgardens who are 2 points clear of a desperate Orgryte.

That link above also provides you with the fixtures for the final round, and they merely add to the excitement. Let’s preview them:

IFK Göteborg v AIK
You could not have hoped for a more story book finish. Along with Malmo these two teams form the “Big Three” of Swedish football, having been champions of Sweden 17 times between them (13 for Goteborg, 4 for AIK) since the championship was known as the Allsvenskan (1924), but you can add another 9 for the period before that. In case you didn’t click on the link provided, Göteborg is hosting AIK. Expect Goteborg to approach this game with a gung-ho flavour since only a win will see them overtake AIK and become champions. A draw would be good enough for AIK, who will probably be relying on a defence which has conceded a measly 15 goals in 29 matches this season to achieve this. Goteborg have double AIK’s goal difference.

IFK Goteborg will look upon their star forward and former Sunderland player Tobias Hysen to get the goals needed, while AIK’s also left-footed star man, midfielder Bojan Djordjic (this name might ring a few bells for Football/Championship Manager addicts) may or may not be key. The trash talk between these two is of a quality befitting the occasion, with Djordjic boasting “We are best Away team and on Sunday at three o’clock, we will show why.” Hysen’s response (with the help of google translate) was sharp: “They like to talk in the media and we should let them do. It is their way to prepare for this match, we have another. Therefore, we have more or less shit to comment on it.” Awesome. Goteborg are unbeaten at home while AIK are the best away team in the league, so all the elements indicate an epic match to decide the title.

Djurgårdens v Kalmar
Gefle IF v Örgryte IS
However, to an Assyriska supporter the above title decider is of very little significance to the more pressing matter at hand – which team are we going to face in a few days’ time? Djurgardens are currently in pole position, but they have the difficult task of facing Kalmar who know a win could secure them qualification to the Europa league (or the qualification stages, or whatever) if Elfsborg fail to win their match at home to recently Larsson-less Helsingborgs. It appears that Orgryte, although two points behind, could just pip Djurgardens to 14th place as they have the much simpler task of facing a Gefle side with nothing to play for. But then again, with a superior goal difference, all Djurgardens need is a draw, so who knows what will happen.

Djurgardens are obviously our preferred opponents as they are from nearby Stockholm, this sentiment attested by both coach Conny Karlsson and Eddie Moussa a week or so ago, while we also believe they hold some fear against Assyriska since we famously hammered them 4-0 in the Swedish Cup semi finals in 2003 (we were then under Conny Karlsson as well). Stefan Batan, on loan from Djurgardens, is absolutely relishing the opportunity to consign his parent club to relegation, given the unfair nature with which he believes they have treated him. “I follow Djurgarden constantly and think it was funny that they won against Örgryte.” [speaking in regards to their recent crucial relegation 6-pointer] “But I also feel a bitterness, I was so disappointed when I could not be maintained. Djurgarden have put themselves in this situation.”

It will be a short turnaround for our opponents in the playoff, with the first leg to be played 3 days later on the 4th of November (Swedish time).

Finally, let’s all laugh at the 3rd biggest Stockholm club, Hammarby, as they say goodbye to the bright lights of the Allsvenskan and prepare for a season in the harsh and unpredictable world of the Superettan. Hammarby’s Emil Johansson says the players “are ashamed like a damn dog.” Meanwhile, relegation was so unlikely that the club didn’t include automatic wage drop clauses in any of their players’ contracts, so they are facing a mass exodus of players or financial oblivion.

Finally #2, there’s the news that our captain fantastic Goran Marklund will be available for the playoffs.

Category: Team News