Kalmar and Elfsborg will put their respective unbeaten Allsvenskan streaks on the line when they face off at Guldfageln Arena on Sunday.
The hosts drew their last match 1-1 away to Mjallby, which saw them drop to fourth place in the league, while the visitors' 2-0 win over Hammarby keeps them firmly on the shoulders of the league leaders, currently in second place.
Match preview
Kalmar finished last season in fourth place and will be determined to go at least one better this season, which will allow them into the coveted Europa Conference League qualifier spots.
They have laid a solid platform to date, currently on 22 points with a record of six wins, four draws and just three losses in their 13 matches to date, but they cannot afford any slip-ups as they are already seven points behind Hacken, who currently hold third place in the league standings.
Simon Skrabb scored the equaliser in their 1-1 draw against Mjallby last week, and with that result, Henrik Jensen's men are now unbeaten in their last five league matches and six in all competitions.
The hosts also have a very good record at home this season, losing only once in their six matches at Guldfageln Arena, scoring 11 and conceding just seven in that time.
Kalmar beat this opponent home and away last season without conceding a goal in either match, but Jensen will know that his side cannot take that for granted as their opponents have been much improved this season.
After finishing in sixth place and 15 points behind the league winners last season, Elfsborg have arguably been the most improved side this term, currently on 32 points after 13 matches and just two points behind Malmo at the top of the table.
They secured a 2-0 win in their last match with goals from Sveinn Gudjohnsen and Johan Larsson, taking their record to 10 wins, two draws and one loss in their 13 matches this season.
That win also marked their 12th consecutive match without defeat, which included one club friendly where they demolished bottom club Varberg 6-1 at the end of last month.
Elfsborg currently hold the best away record of any side in the league, with an incredible 16 points taken from a possible 18, and they are the only side that are still unbeaten on the road this season.
Jimmy Thelin's men come into this one on a five-match winning streak in away matches, scoring 13 and conceding just five in that time, and they have to keep that run going to keep the pressure on Malmo, who face Mjallby later in the day.
Team News
Carl Gustafsson has been out since April when he picked up a head injury, and it seems that it will still be a few more weeks until he returns to action.
Lars Saetra will be unavailable for selection as he serves a one-match ban for yellow card accumulation, while Sebastian Nilsson is the only long-term injury and is only expected back by October.
Andre Romer will miss out for the visitors as he serves his one-match ban in this one, which should mean that Ahmed Qasem continues in the three-man midfield with Michael Baidoo and Emmanuel Boateng.
Viktor Widell (cruciate ligament injury) is the only injury absentee for Thelin, though he is yet to feature this season and is likely to be out for a while longer.
Kalmar possible starting lineup:
Friedrich; Lindahl, Sjostedt, Olsson, Olafsson; Gojani, Sipiao, Netabay; Hummer, Rajovic, Skrabb
Elfsborg possible starting lineup:
Valdimarsson; Larsson, Holmen, Lagerbielke, Hult; Qasem, Baidoo, Boateng; Okkels, Gudjohnsen, Bernhardsson
We say: Kalmar 1-2 Elfsborg
This is a very close one to call, as both sides are currently on the up and carrying solid form into the match.
The visitors, though, have an excellent away record, scoring two or more goals in four of their last five matches on the road, while the hosts have conceded in each of their last four home games.
On those grounds, we are going for Elfsborg to win by the odd goal.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
