Early leaders AIK Fotboll will endeavour to preserve their position at the Swedish Allsvenskan summit when they travel to Eleda Stadium to take on reigning champions Malmo on Thursday evening.
While AIK are yet to lose at the start of the 2025 campaign, Malmo have already dropped 12 points across their opening 10 league games.
Match preview
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After winning back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024, Malmo are bidding to become the first team since IFK Goteborg between 1994 and 1996 to win three consecutive Swedish top-flight titles, but the defence of their crown has not quite gone according to plan.
Indeed, Henrik Rydstrom's side have only come out on top in five of their opening 10 league fixtures, with just two of those wins recorded over a seven-game period (D3 L2) between the middle of April and middle of May.
After being held to a frustrating 2-2 draw by basement club Varnamo last week, Malmo returned to winning ways on Sunday when they eased to a 3-0 home victory over Halmstad, with Anders Christiansen and Isaac Kiese Thelin among the goalscorers.
The Blue Ones sit fifth in the Allsvenskan standings and know that a victory on Thursday night would see them move to within a point of their opponents AIK, who remain the only unbeaten team at this stage of the season.
AIK have accumulated 22 points from their opening 10 league games (W6 D4), seven more than they managed at this stage last season, but after winning six of their first seven fixtures this term, Mikkjal Thomassen's men have been forced to settle for three draws across their last four games.
Gnaget conceded a 92nd-minute equaliser to draw 3-3 with Hacken in an enthralling encounter in Gothenburg, before they were held to a goalless stalemate on home soil by Hammarby last weekend, leaving them one point clear of their opponents in second place.
AIK, who last won the title in 2018, head into Thursday's contest having failed to score in any of their last four meetings with Malmo, drawing three of those 0-0 as well as suffering a heavy 5-0 away loss in April 2024.
The Stockholm-based outfit have also failed to win any of their last 23 visits to Malmo across all competitions (D7 L16) since claiming a 2-0 success in the Svenska Cupen back in May 2001, but they have only tasted defeat twice across their last 14 Allsvenskan games on the road over the last 10 months.
Team News
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Malmo striker Erik Botheim is facing several months on the sidelines as he is required to undergo surgery on a broken leg sustained in the 2-2 draw with Varnamo.
Johan Dahlin and Gentian Lajqi (both ACL) are also in the treatment room, while Anton Tinnerholm recently retired from football due to a persistent groin injury.
Anders Christiansen has scored a team-high three league goals so far this season and is expected to continue in attack with Isaac Kiese Thelin, with Sead Haksabanovic and Hugo Bolin the most likely duo to provide support on the flanks.
As for AIK, teenage talent Andreas Redkin is facing a lengthy spell out with an ACL injury sustained in April, just two months after making his senior debut, while Eskil Edh remains sidelined with a back problem.
Thomassen is unlikely to make too many changes, if any, to his starting lineup, which is set to include former Man City, Feyenoord and Celta Vigo striker John Guidetti, who is hoping to end a four-game goal drought.
Malmo possible starting lineup:
Ellborg; Stryger Larsen, Rosler, Jansson, Busanello; Haksabanovic, Rosengren, Johnsen, Bolin; Christiansen, Kiese Thelin
AIK Fotboll possible starting lineup:
Nordfeldt; Thychosen, Papagiannopoulos, Benkovic, Isherwood, Besirovic; Andersson, Saletros, Celina, Csongvai; Guidetti
We say: Malmo 2-1 AIK Fotboll
Considering that three of the last four meetings between these two teams have ended goalless, a closely-contested battle could be in store on Thursday.
AIK will back themselves to maintain their unbeaten start to the season, but they have struggled to grind out positive results away against Malmo over the years and we feel that the hosts will follow up their comfortable win at the weekend with another three-point haul.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
