The situation in the title race:
- Sirius, 55 points, +24 goal difference.
Last five games: 10 points.
Fixtures: Hammarby (Thursday, away), Halmstad (November 3, home), Kalmar FF (November 8, home), Djurgården (November 22, home), IFK Göteborg (November 29, home).
Comment: A win against Hammarby would leave nine points between the teams. A loss would cut the gap to three. Can Sirius handle the pressure in the hunt for the club's first title?
- Hammarby, 49 points, +31 goal difference.
Last five games: 12 points.
Fixtures: Sirius (Thursday, home), Malmö FF (Sunday, away), Elfsborg (November 6, home), IFK Göteborg (November 23, home), Västerås SK (November 29, away).
Comment: As I said, the meeting with Sirius will be extremely important. Can Bajen avoid finishing second for the third year in a row?
- Djurgården, 48 points, +29 goal difference.
Last five games: 10 points.
Fixtures: IFK Göteborg (Wednesday, away), Degerfors (Sunday, home), Halmstad (November 8, away), Sirius (November 22, away), Häcken (November 29, home).
Comment: The dropped points against Örgryte last time hurt, but hope is still alive. Not least because Djurgården still have Sirius on their schedule.
- Häcken, 45 points, +17 goal difference.
Last five games: 13 points.
Fixtures: Brommapojkarna (Wednesday, home), IFK Göteborg (Sunday, home), AIK (November 8, home), Elfsborg (November 22, home), Djurgården (November 29, home).
Comment: The team in the best form among the contenders, but included here mostly out of courtesy. Häcken need a miracle to win the title.
The situation in the relegation battle:
- Mjällby, 23 points, –14 goal difference.
Last five games: Two points.
Fixtures: Örgryte (Thursday, away), Kalmar FF (November 2, home), Brommapojkarna (November 8, away), Malmö FF (November 21, home), Halmstad (November 29, away).
Comment: Nine straight games without a win, plus the added demands of playing in Europe. It could be a scary autumn in Listerlandet.
- Kalmar FF, 22 points, –18 goal difference.
Last five games: Three points.
Fixtures: Gais (Thursday, home), Mjällby (November 2, away), Sirius (November 8, home), Örgryte (November 23, away), AIK (November 29, home).
Comment: Kalmar FF have scored in only one of their last nine matches.
- Degerfors, 20 points, –20 goal difference.
Last five games: One point.
Fixtures: Västerås SK (Wednesday, home), Djurgården (Sunday, away), Gais (November 7, home), AIK (November 21, away), Örgryte (November 29, home).
Comment: The weakest team at the bottom. The run-in against Öis looks set to be a shocker.
- Örgryte, 19 points, –25 goal difference.
Last five games: Four points.
Fixtures: Mjällby (Thursday, home), Elfsborg (Sunday, away), Västerås SK (November 7, home), Kalmar FF (November 23, home), Degerfors (November 29, away).
Comment: A win against Gais and a draw against Djurgården. The last two matches have given the Gothenburg team some breathing room.
- Halmstad, 17 points, –28 goal difference.
Last five games: Six points.
Fixtures: Malmö FF (Wednesday, home), Sirius (November 3, away), Djurgården (November 8, home), Brommapojkarna (November 22, away), Mjällby (November 29, home).
Comment: A relatively strong bottom-placed team. The late comeback against Västerås last time brought Halmstad closer to the teams above them.
