When the media tipped the men's Allsvenskan football league in connection with the annual kickoff meeting in Stockholm last week, reigning champion Malmö FF, who have won four of the last five years, including two in a row, topped the table.
Captain Anders Christiansen is not surprised.
Not to be cocky or anything, but since I came to Malmö in 2016, the expectations have been that Malmö will win every season except 2023. That's part of the truth, says the 34-year-old Danish star, and continues:
Another part is that when you come to Malmö, live in Malmö, work in Malmö, you know that Malmö is supposed to win. Regardless of whether you or other media think we should win or not, the expectations in Malmö are that we should win. It's pretty simple.
Back after heart failure
"AC" is enjoying football in a way he didn't two years ago. In May 2023, the key player collapsed during training with a later diagnosed heart failure and missed the rest of the season. With an ICD device, a kind of pacemaker, implanted, he was back last year and played in 19 of 30 Allsvenskan matches, including 9 starts.
It's fantastic to be back. I've always appreciated playing football a lot. But it's clear that when someone says you can't play and then you get a second chance, it might give you a few extra percent, he says.
"A second youth"
In early January, Christiansen extended his contract with Malmö until the 2026 season. Since then, he has, among other things, scored goals in the Europa League (against Twente) and the Swedish Cup (against Utsikten). On Saturday afternoon, the midfielder will likely be in MFF's starting lineup as they face Djurgården in Stockholm in the Allsvenskan premiere.
I think a proper preseason has helped me get in better shape, better condition, which is fundamental if I'm going to perform at a high level. I'm very happy about that, he says, and continues.
It feels like a second youth. I feel fit, I feel on top, I feel strong. All the positive in the negative has been that I've tried to build up my body in an even stronger way towards the end of my career. I hope and believe I can take advantage of that in the coming years as well.
Saturday: Djurgården–Malmö FF (3:00 PM), BK Häcken–Brommapojkarna (5:30 PM).
Sunday: Elfsborg–Mjällby, Hammarby–IFK Göteborg (both 2:00 PM), Halmstad–Degerfors, IFK Norrköping–Öster (both 4:30 PM).
Monday: IFK Värnamo–Sirius (7:00 PM), Gais–AIK (7:10 PM).
