Elfsborg vs. Varnamo

Elfsborg and Varnamo are separated by 13 places in the Swedish Allsvenskan table ahead of Monday’s gameweek 19 fixture at Boras Arena.

Oscar Hiljemark’s Europe-chasing side aim for a third consecutive victory, a feat they are favourites to achieve against the division’s bottom club, who have managed just one win in 18 matches all season.

Match preview

Despite sitting third, Elfsborg have experienced a topsy-turvy season, with winning streaks followed by dips in form.

The last of such inconsistent results came before the current winning run, which saw Hiljemark’s team lose three league matches out of five, with the only victory a 2-1 triumph at Goteborg on July 12.

Having appeared to be slipping in the standings, Di Gule have regained encouraging results in the last two matches, securing a 4-3 win over Goteborg and following that wildly exciting victory with a 2-1 triumph at Hacken.

Having previously notched five consecutive wins in the top flight before that wobble, Elfsborg are now seeking another victory to improve on an impressive record that has seen them occupy the top three with 35 points.

However, Malmo (33), AIK (33) and GAIS (32) are chasing the third-placed side and could overtake Eleganterna if the Yellow Ones slip up.

Much will depend on which version of Elfsborg appears on Monday: the one that claimed five wins and a draw from their first six home games this season, or the one that suffered consecutive 2-0 defeats against Hammarby and Hacken in front of their supporters before ending that losing streak with an unconvincing 4-3 win over Goteborg.

It will be fascinating to see if Varnamo can exploit the Yellow Ones’ recently exposed defensive frailties, especially at Boras Arena, where they have conceded seven in their last three games.

That might be an uphill task for the division’s cellar-dwelling club, who have won just one of 18 league games, leaving them on eight points, six adrift of safety.

The 16th-placed club’s only victory came after Arne Sandsto replaced Ferran Sibila Pont at the helm in May; however, the club from Jonkoping County have been unable to build on that 1-0 win over Djurgarden on July 13, suffering two defeats and a draw.

Nevertheless, while the statistics show that Varnamo have managed to gain one point away from home from the 24 available on their travels, they have hardly been outclassed in those defeats, which have either been one-goal losses or narrow two-goal defeats.

While their defence has shipped 17 goals away from home, four clubs have conceded more on their travels — Degerfors (22), Sirius (19), Norrkoping (19) and Halmstad (18) — and they are undermined by a lack of goals, with their six away strikes only bettering Halmstad’s four.

Unless Sandsto’s team find attacking solutions in the remainder of the season, their top-flight status could slip away after four years in the Allsvenskan.

Elfsborg Swedish Allsvenskan form:

Elfsborg form (all competitions):

Varnamo Swedish Allsvenskan form:

Varnamo form (all competitions):

Team News

Although Elfsborg have a relatively healthy squad, Isak Pettersson‘s groin injury will be assessed before Monday’s match.

Frederik Ihler may lead the home side’s goal-scoring charts this term, but the forward has not scored in his last seven league appearances, and the seven-goal man hopes to avoid going eight matches without finding the net.

While Elfsborg will check on one player, the cellar-dwelling Varnamo have a fully fit squad with no players reported to be sidelined, providing Sandsto with some encouragement ahead of Monday’s game.

Marcus Antonsson‘s spell with the club has started well, with his two goals coming in recent matches against Hammarby and GAIS.

The 34-year-old Antonsson hopes to add to his tally in his fifth start since rejoining the Jonkoping County club, as the struggling side seek solutions at both ends of the pitch.

Elfsborg possible starting lineup:

Eriksson; Wilkstrom, Buhari, Yegbe; Larsson, Zeneli, Wenderson, Hedlund; Silverholt, Ilher, Ostman

Varnamo possible starting lineup:

Keto; Rapp, Coulibaly, Mohammed, Bjornstrom; Johansson, Thern, Shamoun; Alsalkhadi, Antonsson, Zeljkovic

We say: Elfsborg 3-1 Varnamo

Elfsborg’s tendency to both score and concede, combined with Varnamo’s usually close matches, should result in both sides finding the back of the net on Monday.

However, Di Gule’s attacking firepower should be too much for the bottom-placed visitors to withstand, with the hosts backed to claim the victory. 

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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