Elfsborg v Häcken

• Elfsborg are the second-highest scorers in Allsvenskan with 25 goals, averaging 1.92 goals scored per game

• Häcken have been in miserable form, only winning one of their previous six 

• The last five head-to-heads have seen 5.2 goals on average

Elfsborg remain in title contention, sitting in 4th, five points behind Mjällby in the top spot, despite not winning their last two. 

Häcken have struggled massively throughout the campaign and are 10th with only 15 points from 13 matches, in a season when they were hoping to contend.

Elfsborg are rightly favourites, the home win giving 1.75, while Häcken need to cause a major upset to get three points, priced at 4.0.

We can expect goals, with the over 2.5 goal line sitting at 1.53, and the under being priced at 2.45.

⭐ Elfsborg v Häcken Predictions and Best Bets

Despite Elfsborg having underperformed in their last two matches, they are a strong side with arguably the best midfield in the division when Besfort Zeneli is fit. With Häcken still completely decimated by injuries, playing youngsters from the start, we can expect a home win here, with 1.75 being generous.

Elfsborg had a period when they were scoring freely, netting four goals per game in three consecutive matches. While overperforming their xG in those, they certainly put their opponents to the sword and are capable of exploding given some space. Häcken are overly open defensively and we could see a high-scoring encounter here, the two teams averaging 3.16 goals per game between them. As such, the over 2.5 goal line at 1.53 looks solid. 

Finally, Elfsborg to score over 1.5 goals at 1.62 looks good value considering Häcken’s inability to contain teams.

🟡 Elfsborg’s Inconsistent Title Challenge

Elfsborg were closing in on the top of the league in May but have now only taken a point in their last two, losing to second-placed Hammarby and drawing with bottom-of-the-league Värnamo last weekend.

The likely return of star midfielder Besfort Zeneli will likely boost their chances here, while his brother Arber returned from a long lay-off to make his season debut last week to bolster the attack.

Elfsborg have been hugely potent on the counter, averaging the third-lowest possession (43.1%) in the league but creating the most big chances with 42, nine more than any other team. With 25 goals from 22.4 xG they are the second-best attacking force in the league.

Defensively, they are solid, conceding 15 goals from 16.8 xG. The main issue recently has been consistency both in and across matches to maintain their level of performance.

⚫ Häcken Can’t Catch a Break

It was looking like Häcken could be getting some players back from injury after the month-long summer lay-off, but in reality, their squad was as decimated as ever at the restart. They fielded four teenagers against GAIS and were thoroughly outplayed, consistently giving the ball away in dangerous areas and unable to progress up the pitch. GAIS had 22 shots to Häcken’s 3, but they somehow managed to score a goal to make it 3-1.

They have now only won one of their last six league games, conceding 12 goals in the process. A bright spark which gave a morale boost was the Swedish Cup final victory over Malmö; however, that was short-lived, losing 3-0 to the reigning league champions just days later.

Their underlying figures (17.0 xG created, 18.2 xG against) are not as bad as their actual record (18 scored, 24 conceded); nonetheless, Häcken’s overall play has been below expectations all season long, rarely taking control of matches or keeping teams at bay.

📊 Elfsborg v Häcken Head-to-Head Key Stats

There tend to be fireworks whenever these two face each other, averaging 5.2 (!) goals in total per game in the last five head-to-heads, with two of those fixtures containing eight goals. Häcken have won three of their last four games against Elfsborg. 

They are yet to face each other this season, with last year’s encounters having eight and four goals each, each team winning away from home in thrilling matches.

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* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.