As they aim for European qualification from the Swedish Allsvenskan, Hammarby are set to host promoted club Degerfors at 3Arena on Monday.
Bajen will be looking to bounce back after their defeat last time out, while Bruket will be hoping to distance themselves from the drop zone.
Match preview
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Kim Hellberg's Hammarby produced a six-game unbeaten run between late April and mid-May, but having won just three of those matches, victory this week would be a major boost to their ambitions.
On Thursday, Bajen's resilience finally wore out when they lost 2-1 on their own turf against league-leaders Mjallby, who netted either side of Montader Madjed's 43rd-minute equaliser, and the manager will be ruing his team's wasteful finishing given that they generated 26 shots compared to their opponents' nine.
Dropping three points saw Hellberg's men fall out of the Allsvenskan's top three after Elfsborg beat Djurgardens IF, leaving them one point behind the spots for entry into the Conference League qualifiers and five from top.
That being said, Monday's hosts will be confident of making up the ground on their rivals due in large part to their excellent home record that features five wins from the six games at 3Arena prior to their defeat earlier this week.
If Hammarby can prove that their loss against Mjallby was simply a one-off, then they could leapfrog both Elfsborg and second-placed AIK, moving to within two points of first place in a best-case scenario.
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Meanwhile, William Lundin's Degerfors have performed commendably so far this term after earning promotion following their 2024 Superettan triumph, but with three losses, one draw and one win from their last five league games, three points would give them some stability.
This past Monday, Bruket suffered their fifth defeat of the season in a 3-1 loss against IFK Goteborg, and the boss will be disappointed that his team allowed Tobias Heintz and Max Fenger to score twice in the opening 10 minutes.
That poor result left Lundin's side ninth in the table ahead of this clash, where their 13 points has them only four above 14th-placed Sirius, who occupy the division's relegation playoff spot.
As they try to put some distance between themselves and the threat of demotion, the visitors will be wary of coming up against one of the strongest sides in the top flight, but they could take heart from the fact that they have won three of their last five on the road.
Should Degerfors continue their surprising away form with another victory, then they could climb up to sixth, overtaking Norkopping, Hacken and GAIS depending on results elsewhere.
Team News
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Hammarby chief Hellberg has a generally fit squad to choose from for this game, and he is likely to opt for a front three of Montader Madjed, Paulos Abraham and Sebastian Tounekti.
In midfield, captain Nahir Besara should be joined by Tesfaldet Tekie and Markus Karlsson, while Victor Eriksson and Pavle Vagic start just behind them at centre-back.
As for Degerfors, they will be missing left-sided defender Juhani Pikkarainen on Monday as he serves a suspension for accumulating yellow cards, and Mamadouba Diaby could join Bernardo Morgado and Leon Hien in Lundin's back three.
Out wide, wing-backs Sebastian Ohlsson and Erik Lindell will provide overlapping runs to support versatile attacking midfielders Marcus Rafferty and Elias Barsoum.
Up top, Degerfors' top-scoring striker, Omar Faraj, will be looking to earn his team an important three points, and having already netted five goals from six matches this season, he will be confident of finding his way onto the scoresheet on Monday.
Hammarby possible starting lineup:
Hahn; Skoglund, Vagic, Eriksson, Pinas; Karlsson, Tekie, Besara; Madjed, Abraham, Tounekti
Degerfors possible starting lineup:
Forsell; Hien, Morgado, Diaby; Lindell, Ohlsson, Netabay, S Ohlsson; Barsoum, Faraj, Rafferty
We say: Hammarby 1-1 Degerfors
Hammarby may have lost last time out, but their home record has been otherwise impressive, and they are unlikely to drop all three points once again.
However, Degerfors have performed better on their travels than on their own turf in recent weeks, and they could walk away with something to show for their efforts on Monday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
