Aiming to break into the top three of the Swedish Allsvenskan table, Mjallby AIF will travel to Finnvedsvallen to take on Varnamo on Sunday.
The visitors remained a single point off third spot with an important return to winning ways last time out, while their hosts also triumphed in their last outing to build a lead over the relegation zone.
Match preview
Varnamo return to Finnvedsvallen on Sunday with the aim of continuing their climb up the Allsvenskan table, having moved above the bottom three with a pleasing upturn in form in recent weeks.
Following a memorable season last time around, culminating in a fifth-placed finish in Sweden's top flight, they endured a tough start to the 2024 campaign, earning just four points from their first six outings and sitting in the drop zone as a result, but Anes Mravac appears to have reversed their fortunes since.
They have since added 10 more points to their tally in the last five attempts since the beginning of May, initially bouncing back from the poor start with victories over Hammarby and Vasteras SK either side of a 1-1 draw with Brommapojkarna.
A 2-0 defeat to Kalmar did then follow for Mravac's men, but they were able to bounce back to winning ways in style at the first time of asking on Monday, travelling to IFK Norrkoping and dishing out a 4-0 beating as Johnbosco Samuel Kalu put them 2-0 up with a brace before Gustav Engvall and Carl Johansson added their names to the scoresheet to put the game out of sight in the final 20 minutes.
Having quickly moved up to 11th spot in the table thanks to their impressive upturn, three points above the relegation playoff spot and just two outside of the top half, Varnamo will set out to further strengthen their position with what would be a fourth win in a six-match span at the weekend.
They face a tricky test, though, as the visitors arrive aiming to break back into the top three after a return to winning ways of their own last time out.
Following their 10th-placed finish last time around, Mjallby AIF enjoyed a fast start to the new term, establishing themselves in the leading pack by earning 17 points from their first nine outings, culminating in their fourth and fifth league wins of the season consecutively against Halmstads BK and Hammarby.
Anders Torstensson's side would then go on to drop out of the top three as a result of back-to-back defeats, though, first seeing an unbeaten streak ended in a 1-0 loss away at Goteborg before falling short at home to Djurgarden last weekend with Deniz Hummet sealing a 3-1 away win late on after Alexander Johansson halved Mjallby's deficit early in the second half.
Aiming to bounce back and rejoin the frontrunners, albeit with leaders Malmo already 11 points better off, Torstensson's side most recently hosted Hacken on Wednesday with only goal difference separating the sides before kick off in the top-three chase, and they came out on top at Strandvallen, initially going 2-0 up through Jacob Bergstrom and Elliot Stroud before holding on for a 2-1 win after Valgeir Fridriksson pulled one back for their visitors in the 48th minute.
Such a result saw Mjallby AIF remain within a single point of third-placed GAIS and five behind second-placed Djurgarden after 12 outings, despite having played a game more than each, and they will set out to further strengthen their top-three claim with a second straight victory on Sunday.
Team News
Anes Mravac may opt to field an unchanged Varnamo starting XI from their 4-0 beating of Norrkoping last time out, although Carl Johansson will fight to come into the attack from the start after netting their fourth off the bench in that game.
Johnbosco Samuel Kalu is bound to lead their line with confidence, having scored a brace on Monday to take his tally to five goals for the season in his first eight appearances, while Gustav Engvall will also keep his place in the front line having managed two so far alongside four assists after hitting 11 Allsvenskan goals last time around.
Elewhere, Wenderson could again drop into a back three alongside Albin Lohikangas and mainstay Victor Larsson, leaving Frank Junior Adjei and Hampus Nasstrom to partner up in the engine room.
Mjallby should also avoid making many changes from their midweek victryo, with midfielder Adam Petersson likely remaining the only long-term absentee.
Jacob Bergstrom will continue to lead the line in their 3-4-3 shape, having scored his fifth goal of the season and a fourth in eight Allsvenskan games with their opener in the triumph over Hacken, while Elliot Stroud will also keep his spot in the front three after netting a goal of his own.
Viktor Gustafson should again complete the front three, while Nicklas Rojkjaer and Jesper Gustavsson are bound to continue their established midfield partnership.
Varnamo possible starting lineup:
Rasheed; Wenderson, Larsson, Lohikangas; Winsth, Adjei, Nasstrom, Bergh; Engvall, Kalu, Johansson
Mjallby AIF possible starting lineup:
Tornqvist; Wilkstrom, Rosler, Pettersson; Johansson, Rojkjaer, Gustavsson, Stahl; Gustafson, Bergstrom, Stroud
We say: Varnamo 1-1 Mjallby AIF
While it is Mjallby who have enjoyed the more impressive start to the Allsvenskan campaign, Varnamo have certainly showed plenty of improvement in recent weeks, and we expect them to make it tough and take a share of the points on home turf on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
