After the long international break, the Swedish football league is back. This weekend promises plenty of excitement.
League leaders Sirius face Gais at Gamla Ullevi on Saturday, while a heated Stockholm derby between second-placed Hammarby and third-placed Djurgården awaits on Sunday.
Hammarby are seven points behind Sirius, while Djurgården are ten points behind. In other words, a draw might be the best result for Sirius in their bid to win the club’s first Swedish championship.
“Get stressed”
“I’ll of course watch the derby, but mostly because I love the Swedish league. I can’t control what other teams do. If I sat around hoping for certain results, I’d get stressed,” says Sirius captain Henrik Rönnlöf Castegren.
“So no, I’m not going to sit around hoping for a win. I can’t do shit from the couch anyway,” he adds with a laugh.
Sirius dominated Allsvenskan (Sweden’s top football league) during the spring and summer, and there was talk of both a points record and going unbeaten for the entire season.
Then came the crash.
They picked up just one point in four games, giving title-chasing Hammarby and Djurgården a chance to get back into the race. But Sirius found their way back before the break, winning three games in a row.
“I think we’re in a very good place. Our starting position for the final eight rounds is fantastic,” says Rönnlöf Castegren.
“Would be very tough”
Hammarby’s new national team player Paulos Abraham doesn’t want to say the title is out of reach if they lose on Sunday, but he knows they need to pick up points.
“We’re not going to say it’s over if we lose. But it would be very tough for us and the supporters to lose a match like this. This match is very important, and it’s not just about the points. It’s also about the mental side,” he says.
Abraham expects a tough derby, which he describes as the biggest he has ever played.
“It’s probably the most talked-about derby beforehand. It’s going to be a fun match. Everyone will be watching. These are the kinds of matches you want to play.”
And the fact that they could move further away from the title with a loss doesn’t worry Abraham.
“In the derby, everyone goes for the win,” he says.
- Sirius, 51 points
Remaining matches: Gais (away 10/10), Elfsborg (home 18/10), AIK (home 24/10), Hammarby (away 29/10), Halmstad (home 3/11), Kalmar (away 8/11), Djurgården (home 22/11), IFK Gothenburg (away 29/11).
- Hammarby, 43 points
Remaining matches: Djurgården (home 11/10), Halmstad (away 18/10), Mjällby (away 25/10), Sirius (home 29/10), Malmö FF (away 1/11), Elfsborg (home 6/11), IFK Göteborg (home 23/11), Västerås (away 29/11).
- Djurgården, 41 points
Remaining matches: Hammarby (away 11/10), BP (away 16/10), Örgryte (home 24/10), IFK Göteborg (away 28/10), Degerfors (home 1/11), Halmstad (away 8/11), Sirius (away 22/11), Häcken (home 29/11).
