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IFK Göteborg v Elfsborg
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Kick Off: Saturday 1st June at 14:00
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Competition: Swedish Allsvenskan
After missing out on the title by a whisker last year, Elfsborg have not been able to replicate that form heading into 2024, though a visit to struggling Göteborg could be what they need to kickstart their campaign.
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Göteborg have won just one of their last five games, and currently sit just one place above the relegation zone, level on points with 14th-placed Norrköping but ahead thanks to a superior goal difference.
Elfsborg came so close to a first Allsvenskan title since 2012 last time out, but any hope of coming back stronger this year looks to be dead on arrival as they sit in eighth place, already 15 points adrift of table-topping Malmö.
IFK Göteborg v Elfsborg Best Bets
IFK Göteborg are missing a whole host of players, most notably Mallick Yalcouyé, who has been absolutely outstanding this season. In addition, arguably their best attacking player Arbnor Mucolli will likely also be absent this game, as well as Andreas Pyndt, who has started the majority of matches.
This makes an already difficult task so much harder, especially considering two of the regular midfield trio are out. There is a risk of the defence being overly exposed, especially after just being undone by AIK.
Elfsborg will certainly be looking to bounce back after the Malmö defeat the other day in order to put pressure on the teams above them in the table. They have a fully fit squad as opposed to IFK and can take advantage of the home team’s defensive frailties.
In fact, IFK have struggled against counter-attacking teams – they will try to retain possession and control this match, but Elfsborg’s danger on the break can certainly catch them out.
Elfsborg have only kept one clean sheet away from home this season, against the wasteful Västerås, and we can expect that to continue here. Nonetheless, in line with the recent head-to-head history, they should be able to get some sort of result here.
📂 IFK Göteborg v Elfsborg Cheat Sheet
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⚔️ IFK Göteborg v Elfsborg Head-to-Head
When these two sides meet, we have been accustomed to goals aplenty in the last couple of seasons. The last four meetings have all seen both teams score, averaging 3.25 goals per game.
Last year we saw a 1-1 draw in Borås in July followed by a 2-1 away victory for title-chasing Elfsborg at the end of October. In that particular match, despite only four shots in total, Per Frick and Alexander Bernhardsson bagged the two goals to secure the victory, with Sebastian Holmén scoring an own goal to give IFK a consolation.
Elfsborg have had the upper hand in head-to-heads in recent years, in line with the two clubs’ overall performances.
In fact, the last IFK Göteborg win came back in 2020 in the Swedish Cup semi-final, and we would need to go back all the way to April 2019 for their most recent league triumph over Elfsborg.
📊 IFK Göteborg Form and Stats
The pride of Gothenburg’s season went from bad to worse in last week’s deflating 5-2 defeat away to AIK.
Despite taking the lead through Oscar Pettersson, who is finding some form after a rocky start at the club, they allowed AIK straight back into the match. Going into half time the scores were level, but in the second period, IFK fell apart after again taking the lead, then allowing AIK to run riot and score four times in 30 minutes.
It felt somewhat representative of their season to date, playing well enough but being too frail defensively, making mistakes and getting punished eventually.
The result leaves them dangerously close to the relegation zone, now in 13th, just one point ahead of Kalmar FF in 15th. In addition, only two teams have a worse goal difference than their -7, scoring 12 goals in 11 matches, with their accumulated xG figure of 14.3 showing promise of an improvement.
Chance creation has been a real issue though, with starting striker Laurs Skjellerup consistently injured and academy prospect Linus Carlstrand below-par.
📊 Elfsborg Form and Stats
Despite holding strong against champions and league leaders Malmö FF in midweek, the pressure eventually told, with Elfsborg suffering a 2-1 defeat. The result was merited, but captain Johan Larsson missed a glorious chance to equalise right at the death. This continued Elfsborg’s inconsistent season where they have only once put together two consecutive victories.
Being a team that goes after games with numbers on the break has its limitations, Elfsborg being the prime example, only recording one draw to date. They rely heavily on counter-attacks, having the second-lowest average possession in the division at 39.4%.
Against teams that are adept in possession, however, they tend to struggle, failing to get out of their half and getting broken down eventually. Their counter-attacking was more effective last season, but this year, they have more regularly been unable to contain teams and pose any real threat when facing the better sides.
Last year, when challenging for the title, they had the best defence in Allsvenskan, conceding only 0.9 goals per match. This time around, however, letting in 1.6 goals per game is much too high to be able to compete for European qualification. In addition, by only creating 1.39 xG per 90 they are playing like a mid table team.
Michael Baidoo has been as impressive as ever, Arber Zeneli is finding his feet after returning to the club, and Ahmed Qasem is back to his best following his injury.
Meanwhile, youngster Jalal Abdulai remains inconsistent up top. Player performances are adequate but the unit is not performing as well as expected both defensively and in build-up.
* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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