AIK Fotboll will aim to continue their ascent of the Swedish Allsvenskan table when they travel south to do battle with Kalmar at Guldfageln Arena on Sunday.
Following a dismal start to the season, AIK have turned the corner in recent weeks, although the 12-time champions still trail Kalmar by eight points in the standings.
Match preview
Kalmar enter Sunday's showdown on the back of a 2-1 defeat against Armenian side FC Pyunik in Europa Conference League qualifying, meaning that Henrik Jensen's men suffered a disappointing 4-2 aggregate loss.
As a result, the Pride of Smaland have lost each of their last three matches across all competitions, with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of IFK Goteborg falling between successive 2-1 losses in Europa Conference League qualifying.
When you look at the bigger picture, Kalmar have suffered five defeats in their previous six outings, recording Allsvenskan losses against Elfsborg and Hammarby before the current three-game losing streak.
It is worth noting, however, that Kalmar have enjoyed plenty of success on home soil this term, winning five of their eight league games at Guldfageln Arena, so the Red Brothers will be hopeful of notching a fourth home victory in five attempts this weekend.
AIK Fotboll, meanwhile, claimed a last-gasp victory over Sirius last time out, with midfielder Bilal Hussein's 89th-minute strike earning the Gnaw a precious 1-0 win to maintain their recent upturn.
Believe it or not, AIK managed to win just one of their opening 12 Allsvenskan matches this term, taking seven points from a possible 36, but they have since suffered a solitary defeat in five league outings, securing three victories in the process.
Managed by former Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers defender Henning Berg, AIK kick-started their turnaround with a 2-0 win at Brommapojkarna before defeating Varbergs BoIS and Sirius, meaning that the Gnaw have won each of their last three away games.
The Stockholm giants achieved four top-two finishes in six years between 2016 and 2021, clinching the Allsvenskan title in 2018, and they have finally started to flex their muscles in 2023 following a disastrous start to the campaign.
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Team News
Kalmar will be without the injured duo of Carl Gustafsson and Sebastian Nilsson for the foreseeable future, with the latter having not featured this season after fracturing his patella.
Top scorer Mileta Rajovic has netted seven Allsvenskan goals this year, while Finnish winger Simon Skrabb has contributed four goals and four assists in the league.
AIK, on the other hand, look set to be without Robin Tihi this weekend as the 21-year-old midfielder has missed the previous two matches due to injury.
Former Manchester City striker John Guidetti will likely partner Dino Besirovic in the visitors' forward line, while Monday's hero Bilal Hussein will operate alongside Anton Saletros in the engine room.
Kalmar possible starting lineup:
Friedrich; Karlsson, Saetra, Sjostdet, Olafsson; Gojani, Romaria, Skrabb; Hummet, Rajovic, Shamoun
AIK Fotboll possible starting lineup:
Nordfledt; Thychosen, Milosevic, Papagiannopoulos, Haliti; Modesto, Saletros, Hussein; Besirovic, Guidetti
We say: Kalmar 0-1 AIK Fotboll
While Kalmar have lost five of their last six matches across all competitions, AIK have won each of their previous three away games while keeping two clean sheets.
With that in mind, we expect the visitors to achieve a fourth successive away victory this weekend, inflicting a fourth consecutive defeat on the hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
