After the long international break, the Swedish national football team is back. This weekend promises to be exciting.
League leaders Sirius face Gais at Gamla Ullevi on Saturday, and on Sunday a heated Stockholm derby awaits between second-placed Hammarby and third-placed Djurgården.
Ahead of the matches, Hammarby are eight points behind Sirius, while Djurgården are ten points behind. In other words, a draw would perhaps suit Sirius best in their bid for the club's first Swedish championship title.
“Get stressed”
“I will 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 would 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 continues, laughing.
Sirius raced through the Allsvenskan (Sweden's top football league) in the spring and summer, and there was talk of both a points record and going through the entire season unbeaten.
Then came the crash.
They took just one point from four games, and title-chasing Hammarby and Djurgården were given a chance to join the gold-medal race. But before the break, Sirius found their way back, winning three straight games.
“I think we are in a very good place. Our starting position for the last eight rounds is fantastic,” says Rönnlöf Castegren.
“It would be very tough”
Hammarby's new national team player Paulos Abraham doesn't want to say the title race is over if they lose on Sunday, but he knows they need to pick up points.
“We won't 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 is expecting a tough derby, which he describes as the biggest he has ever played in.
“It's probably the most talked-about derby beforehand. It's going to be a fun match. Everyone will watch it. These are the kinds of matches you want to play.”
And the fact that the teams are playing each other with the title race still open doesn't worry Abraham.
“In the derby, everyone goes for the win,” he says.
Correction: A previous version gave the wrong number of points separating Sirius and Hammarby.
- 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).
What do you think?