Djurgarden – Haecken

No more than three goals will be scored in Sweden's central match

Sunday in Stockholm will be a match that will not only be central to the 25th round, but will also be pivotal in the fight for the title at the end of the current Allsvenskan draw. The opponents now have 48 points each, sitting at the top of the table with a comfortable lead over their rivals. The capital club is considered first due to their better goal difference, but the fragility of their advantage is obvious. The bookmakers have logically chosen the home side as the favourites, but the odds on their victory are offered around 2.0, so no one expects Jurgorden to dominate. The metropolitan team is quite successful on two fronts. Given the not very high class of Swedish football in general and its best representatives in particular, Djurgården do not always manage to achieve stability. In mid-September the team triumphed 3-0 against Gothenburg, topping the standings, but in the next round with a similar score lost to one of the league underdogs, Degerfors. In the Conference League, the Stockholm club has seven points in three rounds and takes the lead in Group F. On Thursday, Djurgården sensationally beat Gent in an away game, being the undisputed underdog before the match. Hecken are a surprise entrant in the championship race this season. The Gothenburg side finished just 12th, but under the stewardship of the experienced Per-Mathias Högmo they have transformed significantly. Hecken manage to share first place with their upcoming opponents, despite losing 12 points from a possible 16 in the last four rounds. Moreover, Hecken's last defeat was in the third decade of July, when it was Jurgården who came to visit. It is worth noting two more series in the relationship between the rivals. Firstly, Djurgården have won their last seven head-to-head encounters without fail. Second, the opponents have not scored more than three goals in five games in a row.