Elfsborg will look to extend their impressive winning streak when they travel to face Halmstads BK this weekend in matchday 11 of the Swedish Allsvenskan.
The visitors have won each of their last four games, while the hosts are in a rough patch, having lost consecutive matches.
Match preview
Oscar Hiljemark‘s side may have taken time to get going this season, but once the wheels turned, they have barely looked back, collecting 22 points from their last eight games to climb within four points of leaders Mjallby AIF, who have played a game more.
Elfsborg opened the campaign with just a point from their first two fixtures, but that has proven to be nothing more than a minor wobble, having since won seven of the following eight, with the only blemish in that period being a 2-0 setback at AIK Fotboll.
The Yellow Ones have enjoyed a perfect mix of flair and solidity of late, scoring 18 times while shutting out their opponents in each of those eight matches, including two four-goal outings in a row.
Their most recent triumph was a commanding 4-0 demolition of Djurgardens IF in a one-sided affair where Hiljemark’s men controlled both halves with clinical ease, having previously edged a thrilling 4-3 battle against Brommapojkarna on home soil.
Away from Boras, however, consistency has proven elusive for Elfsborg, with their four road games yielding two wins and as many defeats, though their most recent trip ended in a 1-0 success at Oster, which should provide a measure of confidence heading into this one.
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While the visitors enter in fine fettle, Halmstad’s outlook has grown increasingly grim, with Johan Lindholm‘s men sitting 13th on 10 points, just a step above the relegation zone, and with issues mounting at both ends of the pitch, this could quickly become a season of firefighting if results do not improve.
The hosts have lost six times already this term, and those defeats have come in frustrating clusters, with each pair of losses arriving back-to-back â a trend that continued with their 3-0 drubbing at Malmo following a home reverse against GAIS.
That recent defeat at Orjans Vall summed up HBK’s woes in front of their fans, where victories against Oster and Varnamo have offered brief relief but have been sandwiched between losses.
Lindholm’s side have found goals hard to come by and have struggled to keep them out, conceding a joint-league-high 21 while scoring just nine â the third fewest tally in the division.
Team News
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Elfsborg’s emphatic win over Djurgardens IF came at a cost, as Frederik Ihler, Niklas Hult and Terry Yegbe were all forced off with injuries, casting significant doubt over their involvement in this weekend’s encounter.
The potential absence of Ihler could prove telling, with the forward currently leading the club’s scoring charts in the league this season with six goals, leaving a sizeable void to be filled by whoever steps in.
On the other hand, Halmstads came through their recent trip to Malmo without picking up any fresh injuries, handing Lindholm a welcome reprieve from further selection headaches.
The burden of leading the line is likely to once again fall on Yannick Agnero, who has scored five of HBK’s nine league goals this term and remains the team’s main attacking outlet.
Halmstads BK possible starting lineup:
Eriksson; Holmen, Buhari, Wikstrom; Hedlund, Zeneli, Olsson, Aronsson; Ostman, Magnusson, Sigurpalsso
Elfsborg possible starting lineup:
Erlandsson; Olsson, Schyberg, Kurtulus; Granath, Allansson, Damnjanovic, Friberg; Mohammed, Agnero, Arvidsson
We say: Halmstads BK 0-2 Elfsborg
Elfsborg’s output in the final third has dipped on their travels, with only three goals to show from their four away outings in the league so far, though both of their wins on the road have come with clean sheets.
Nonetheless, Hiljemark’s men have had the upper hand in this fixture in recent years, claiming victory in the last six top-flight meetings without conceding in the last three, and given Halmstad’s recent slump, a similar result is expected here.
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