Djurgardens IF host Pafos FC in the Conference League on Thursday, hoping to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg of their tie.
Muamer Tankovic's goal separated the two sides last week in Cyprus, but with a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs, there is still plenty of work to do if Pafos are to progress to the next round.
Match preview
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The hosts finished fifth in the league phase of the Conference League, after four wins, a draw, and a defeat gave them 13 points from their league phase fixtures – with only Vitoria de Guimaraes and Chelsea securing more points in the league phase than the Swedish outfit.
Aside from the closing matches of the league phase action and last week's first leg against Pafos, the only other competitive games that Djurgardens IF have played in since November are the Svenska Cupen matches in both February and March, which saw the club exit the competition.
The coaching duo of Thomas Lagerlof and Kim Bergstrand left the club in October after almost six years in charge, with Roberth Bjorknesjo being brought in on an interim basis for the rest of the season before Jani Honkavaara was announced as their permanent replacement in January.
So far, he has only managed one victory in his first four matches in charge, a 2-0 success in the Svenska Cupen against Sandvikens IF.
The hosts have a good record on home soil in the competition this season, having won five of their six Conference League matches played at home, including qualifiers.
The goal that they conceded in Cyprus last week was only the 11th goal that they have allowed in during 13 matches in the Conference League this season, making them one of the toughest defensive sides in the entire competition.
With just a goal deficit to overturn, Honkavaara's side will fancy their chances against a Pafos team that have exceeded all expectations of them in the tournament.
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The Cypriots were taken to extra time in both of their qualifiers for the competition against Zalgiris and CSKA Sofia before a 3-1 aggregate triumph against Cluj booked their place in the league phase.
In the league phase, three wins and a draw were enough to seal a place in the playoffs for the knockout round, as Pafos finished 12th, 10 places above Omonia, who they faced off against in an all-Cypriot tie.
After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, they won 2-1 in front of their own fans to set up the tie against Djurgardens IF.
Their triumph against Omonia was perhaps not a big surprise, given that Pafos are a point clear at the top of the Cypriot First Division, while Omonia are fourth and 10 points behind Pafos.
However, Omonia did get their revenge in the league meeting between the two teams on March 1, when they came from a goal behind to beat Pafos 2-1.
The result was followed up with a goalless draw against Ehnikos Achna at the weekend, just three days after their victory against Djurgardens IF.
That was just the sixth time that Pafos have dropped points in the league this season, so by their exceptionally high standards, two games in a row without a win in Cyprus is certainly a disappointment.
However, their season still has the potential to be historic for the club, as they could lift their first-ever Cypriot league title, and they also have a shot at winning back-to-back Cypriot Cup titles, along with a potential place in the quarter-finals of a European competition.
The visitors will be looking to improve on their disappointing record away from home in the Conference League on Thursday, as the Cypriot side have won only one of their seven away matches in the competition so far during this campaign.
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Team News
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The hosts will be without defender Marcus Danielson for this game due to suspension, which is a blow for the Swedish side, as he has been a regular throughout their Conference League campaign.
In a further blow for the hosts, Piotr Johansson (cruciate) is not expected to be back in time for this clash.
Meanwhile, former Watford man Ken Sema is one of the most recognisable faces in the Pafos team, having joined the club recently following his departure from Vicarage Road.
Sema is one of two Swedes set to return to their homeland in Pafos shirts, with the other one being Tankovic, the man that scored the only goal of the game in the first leg.
Djurgardens IF possible starting lineup:
Nilsson Safqvist; Kosugi, Une, Tenho, Stahl; Schuller, Aslund, Fallenius, Gulliksen, Zugelj; Nguen
Pafos FC possible starting lineup:
Ivusic; Silva, Luckassen, Goldar, Sema; Tankovic, Pepe, Sunjic, Bruno, Dragomir; Jairo
We say: Djurgardens IF 2-1 Pafos FC
We think that this tie has the potential to go the distance, and it could end up going all the way to penalties.
Pafos have had an impressive season both domestically and in Europe, and we believe that they may score in a defeat here, which would see the tie go to the lottery of a penalty shootout.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Tom Humphrey
