Sirius welcome IFK Goteborg to Uppsala on Sunday for what looks to be an early-season relegation clash between two sides currently near the bottom.
Goteborg's drift into mediocrity looks set to continue again this season, as they start the weekend in the relegation playoff place.
Match preview
For a club that was so often challenging near the top of the Allsvenskan during the 2000s and the early-2010s, Goteborg now face another season in the bottom half.
Three of the last six campaigns have ended in a bottom-half finish for the 18-time Swedish champions, and occupying a relegation place currently is even more of a surprise.
Along with AIK, the pair are two sides that would not have expected to be in this position with over a third of the season played, but after five games without a win, the league table certainly does not lie.
Back-to-back defeats have now ensued where Goteborg have conceded five goals, as they have taken no momentum from their 6-0 win over Degerfors on gameweek six.
After four losses to start the season, that thumping win was well received, but it still remains their only win this season after 11 games.
The next three games represent a massive opportunity for manager Alexander Tengryd to pick up some much-needed points, starting with Sirius here, a side close to them in the table.
Up next will be newly-promoted Halmstad and bottom-placed Varberg, but with this upcoming encounter and the clash against Halmstad both away from home, their record of just two points from a possible 15 on the road so far leaves little to be encouraged about.
Sirius are slightly better off but are accustomed to the challenge that will almost certainly lie ahead of them this season.
After finishing seventh in their debut top-flight season in 2017, five-straight bottom-half finishes have followed, but they have managed to maintain their status as an Allsvenskan club, and given that they were a third-tier side as recently as 2013, that is a fine achievement.
Heading into the weekend, they sit 12th, four points clear of their upcoming opponents, who occupy the relegation playoff spot.
It has been their home form which has been the main disappointment, taking just four points from a possible 15 here, while six away games have yielded a slightly better seven points.
Team News
Sirius have a rather lengthy injury list to deal with ahead of the visit of Goteborg here, with Melker Heier and Oli Omarsson among those out.
Goalkeeper David Mitov Nilsson, Andreas Murbeck and Filip Olsson all remain sidelined too, having not featured in any action in 2023 as of yet.
Former Goteborg player Patrik Karlsson Lagemyr will not face his former employers here, with the attacker still nursing a serious knee injury that has kept him out all year.
There are big issues in the middle of the pitch for Goteborg, with numerous midfielders missing for this encounter.
Adam Carlen is suspended due to yellow card accumulation, while Abundance Salaou is nursing a knee injury.
Furthermore, Lucas Kahed's return from injury has been moved back, and Afghan international Hussein Carneil remains absent.
At the back, Sebastian Ohlsson's serious foot injury will keep him out until August, while Emil Salomonsson is recovering from a broken collarbone suffered against Mjallby last week.
Sirius possible starting lineup:
Tannander; Bjarnason, Nwadike, Mathisen, Widgren; Voelkerling, Roche, Stensson; Persson, Alsanati, Matthews
IFK Goteborg possible starting lineup:
Dahlberg; Eriksson, Svensson, Bangsbo, Wendt; Trondsen, Carlen, Hagen; Carlstrand, Berg, Norlin
We say: Sirius 1-1 IFK Goteborg
Sirius enter the fixture with more form and more confidence as opposed to a Goteborg side massively underachieving and unable to win a game.
In their 10 meetings with Goteborg since promotion though, Sirius have been beaten on seven occasions, but this a weaker IFK side compared to years gone by.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Andrew Delaney
