Two sides that have struggled since the start of the season will face off in a Game week 13 Allsvenskan fixture at the Visma Arena on Saturday.
Osters are 14th in the standings, a point and a place above the automatic relegation spot, while Sirius are a point and a place above the hosts in the 13th position.
Match preview
Playing in the Allsvenskan for the first time since 2013, Osters have struggled to adapt to life in the Swedish top division.
The Vaxjo-based side won only one and lost seven of their first eight fixtures since returning to the top flight, but there has been a turnaround in recent times.
Osters seem to have turned the corner, considering that they are unbeaten in four league fixtures and five across all competitions.
Coming into this fixture, Martin Foyston will be aiming to build on their 2-1 victory over Degerfors in their last league outing to make it three wins in five matches, while also extending their unbeaten streak to five games.
Beyond their improved form, Osters are enjoying a good run against Saturday’s opponents, having been unbeaten in their last five head-to-head meetings across all competitions, with two wins and three draws.
Indeed, Sirius will go in search of their first win against Osters for the first time since a 2-1 win away to the hosts in September 2007.
The visitors have struggled this term, managing to win only three games after 12 rounds of matches in the Swedish top division.
One of those three triumphs came in their last outing, when they handed third-placed AIK a surprising 3-1 defeat to snap a three-game losing streak.
At this stage last term, the visitors had earned 15 points from the same number of matches, but Andreas Engelmark would not be too disappointed given their victory last time out.
Currently 13th in the table, the Blue-Black will be looking to claim a second win on the bounce to put more distance between themselves and the drop zone.
Oster Swedish Allsvenskan form:
Oster form (all competitions):
Sirius Swedish Allsvenskan form:
Sirius form (all competitions):
Team News
Engelmark has an almost fully fit squad to choose from when selecting his starting XI for this weekend’s fixture.
However, both Axel Lindahl and Niklas Soderberg are set to miss out on Saturday’s encounter as a result of injuries.
Robin Wallinder is expected to continue in goal for the hosts, while Ivan Kricak and Mattis Adolfsson should partner in the heart of defence.
As for the visiting side, Patrick Nwadike has been out for a few months, and he is not expected to be involved this weekend.
Similarly, forward Noel Milleskog will also not be considered, as he is currently on the sidelines as a result of an injury.
Oster possible starting lineup:
Wallinder; Bergquist, Kricak, Adolfsson, Vermanen; Ljung, Gyamfi, Seger; Olsson; Aliev, Tamminen
Sirius possible starting lineup:
Diawara; Widgren, Anker, Sandberg, Voelkerling; Heier, Walta, Lindberg; Bjerkebo, Ure, Ljunberg
We say: Oster 2-1 Sirius
Osters have slowly hit their stride in the past few weeks, claiming two wins and three draws in five fixtures, and given that they are playing in front of their fans, the hosts are likely to edge the visiting side 2-1.
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