Halmstad have, after a run of three positive results, started sliding again, losing the last two matches while conceding three goals in each. The 3-1 home defeat to GAIS was somewhat surprising, considering the visitors had been low-scoring to date, while losing 3-0 to Malmö was more expected.

Their defensive record is incredibly poor, having let in the joint-most goals in the league with 21, with 17.0 xG conceded. In addition, their attacking power is severely lacking, scoring nine goals from 8.0 xG, thanks to forward ace Yannick Agnero. Without him, they would certainly be even worse off, having netted five of their nine goals.

Elfsborg started the season somewhat slowly but have since gone from strength to strength, winning the last four to an aggregate score of 11-4. Their strong run has propelled them to 3rd in the league, sitting four points off the top with a game in hand. Last weekend’s 4-0 over a jaded and decimated Djurgården was mightily impressive, with new striker Fredrik Ihler bagging a hat-trick, taking his Allsvenskan tally to six goals. They have now won seven of their last eight, only equalled by league leaders Mjällby in that period, scoring freely and being tight defensively.

IFK Göteborg started the season off relatively well, getting to the semi-finals of the Swedish Cup and winning three of their first five Allsvenskan matches. Since then, however, the club have struggled massively for consistency, only picking up four points in five matches.

In fact, before Monday’s win over Degerfors, they had lost three consecutive games, dropping into the bottom half of the division. The 3-1 victory was a needed confidence boost, long balls over the top of the defence with timely runs in behind was the recipe for success. Left winger Tobias Heintz was particularly impressive, grabbing two high-quality goals, while top scorer Max Fenger brought his season tally to six goals as well as providing an assist. IFK are still too frail defensively and struggle against better teams, having already lost to the likes of Mjällby, Hammarby and Häcken. 

Reigning champions Malmö have failed to live up to the incredibly high expectations, with most expecting them to be as dominant as last season. They have, however, faltered to date, finding themselves in 5th place in Allsvenskan, seven points behind surprise leaders Mjällby. They again failed to win consecutive matches, playing out a scoreless draw with fellow title contenders AIK in midweek, now not having secured two victories on the trot since the second gameweek.

The lack of creativity to unlock deep defences is a real issue, with attacking forces Arnor Sigurdsson and Sead Haksabanovic finally working their way back to full fitness. The team also lacks a prolific striker, former top scorer Isaac Kiese Thelin looks a shadow of his former self.

Pontus Jansson is confirmed to be out until after the summer break due to injury, while the leg break suffered by Erik Botheim recently keeps him out for the majority of the season. They have struggled to keep clean sheets in the absence of Jansson and could be there for the taking.

A Stockholm derby between teams at opposite ends of the table, Brommapojkarna sit in 12th while AIK are 2nd, three points off Mjällby. 

Brommapojkarna have been fun to watch this season, playing with plenty of intensity and being involved in high-scoring matches, averaging 2.6 goals per game. After a positive run of form, winning three of four, they have now lost three on the bounce by a single goal. The performances have in actuality, been quite positive, beating both league leaders Mjällby and strugglers Halmstad on xG, accumulating 2.89 xG across the two matches, but somehow failing to score.

Adam Jakobsen, in particular, has been guilty of missing chances, while his Danish compatriot Victor Kind has also been less than prolific. You can tell the team misses last season’s Allsvenskan top scorer Nikola Vasic, despite the breakthrough of Ezekiel Allado,h who has four league goals so far.

AIK’s play is not always pretty, relying on grit and determination to grind teams down and keep them at bay, but it has been effective to date. Being tipped to struggle again this season, they have instead gone unbeaten in the first 11 games, winning six and drawing five.

They do not always possess the top-end quality to win games, and John Guidetti is clearly not the player he once was as a result of his physical struggles, but they are in any case, the only unbeaten team remaining. The 0-0 draw with Malmö on Thursday was a close affair, neither team surpassing 1 xG (0.92–0.53 in Malmö’s favour). AIK continue to impress in their own way and can be expected to again put Brommapojkarna under pressure while giving away little at the back.

Djurgården have, partly as a result of their European exploits, as well as some untimely injuries, struggled majorly in Allsvenskan this year. The attack has been far from effective, not clicking and lacking incisiveness, leading to the lowest goal tally in the league with six.

In addition, a defence which was previously very stable has recently started leaking, conceding seven goals in two matches. Mjällby beat them 3-1 last Thursday, followed by a 4-0 mauling at the hands of in-form Elfsborg. One of the pre-season favourites now find themselves in 11th place, needing a real upswing in form to have any chance of breaking into the top five.

Häcken have, on the other hand, slowly but surely been building momentum. A difficult start to the campaign, largely due to a host of injuries, mainly defensive, has been followed by more stability and some impressive performances. After losing three of the first five, they have since lost only one in five, picking up eight points in five matches and pushing up to 6th position. Their attack has not been as potent as usual, with Srdjan Hrstic not finding his shooting boots, and star player Amor Layouni being absent in the last two matches. They have still managed eight goals in the last fiver games, with former Djurgården midfielder Samuel Leach Holm scoring a brace in each of their last two games. They always look likely to get a goal, averaging 1.49 xG per game to date.

Djurgården have lost their stability and tend to struggle against Häcken, conceding in the last two head-to-heads.