Both AIK Fotboll and Kalmar will be bidding to bounce back from heavy defeats when they resume their Allsvenskan campaign with a contest on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts suffered a 4-1 loss to Hacken in their last fixture on June 2, while Kalmar were on the end of a 4-0 defeat to Vasteras SK at the start of last month.
Match preview
AIK boast a record of five wins, two draws and five defeats from their 12 league matches this season, which has left them in eighth position in the table on 17 points, six points behind third-placed Mjallby.
The Solna-based outfit are 12-time Swedish champions, with their last triumph coming in 2018, but they finished a disappointing 11th last season.
AIK actually have the second-best home record in the Allsvenskan this season, picking up 15 points from their six matches in front of their own fans, but they have the worst away record, claiming only two points from six games on the road.
Henok Goitom's side were 5-2 winners over IFK Goteborg at the end of May, but they entered the break off the back of a 4-1 defeat to Hacken.
AIK have actually only won one of their last five league matches against Kalmar, and the last two fixtures between the two sides have finished level, including a 1-1 in their last contest in August 2023.
As for Kalmar, the visitors have lost heavily in their last two matches, suffering a 5-0 defeat to Malmo on May 24 before going down 4-0 at home to Vasteras SK at the start of June.
Henrik Jensen's side are 15th in Sweden's top flight, having picked up just 10 points from their 12 matches this season courtesy of a record of three wins, one draw and eight defeats.
Kalmar have scored 17 league goals this season, which is impressive considering their position in the table, but they have conceded 28, which is the second-worst defensive record behind IFK Norrkoping.
The Red and Whites were actually Swedish champions in 2008, while they have finished as the runners-up on two occasions, but their focus this season will be on avoiding relegation.
Kalmar will be going in search of their first away success over AIK since November 2020, but they did pick up a point in a 1-1 draw when the two teams met in the corresponding contest last term.
Team News
AIK will be without the services of three first-team players on Sunday, with Abdihakin Ali, Alexander Fesshaie and Martin Ellingsen unavailable for selection.
Ioannis Pittas is the team's biggest threat, with a strong season to date seeing him score 10 times in 18 appearances, and the 27-year-old will again operate in the final third.
Rui Modesto has also been in impressive form for AIK this term, netting six times in all competitions, and the 24-year-old will again feature in a wide position.
As for Kalmar, Jacob Trenskow has been their main source of goals this season, finding the back of the net on eight occasions, and he will be a certain starter for the visitors.
Three players have been ruled out for the away side on Sunday, with Rony Jansson, Johan Karlsson and Carl Gustafsson on the treatment table.
Simon Skrabb has scored four times this season and will also feature, while Dino Islamovic will be bidding to add to the three goals that he has managed during the current campaign.
AIK Fotboll possible starting lineup:
Nordfelt; Thychosen, Hansen, Papagiannopoulos, Bjornstrom; Modesto, Dabo, Coulibaly, Celina; Faraj, Pittas
Kalmar possible starting lineup:
Kindberg; Motaraghebjafarpour, Saetra, Sjostedt; Magashy, Romario, Gojani, Gersbach; Trenskow, Islamovic, Skrabb
We say: AIK Fotboll 2-1 Kalmar
There has not been much between the two sides in their recent meetings, with three of their last five matches ending all square. It would not be a surprise to see another draw here, but with home advantage, we are expecting AIK to have enough to navigate their way to all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
