The bottom two in the Swedish Allsvenskan will lock horns on Sunday afternoon, with 16th-placed Vasteras SK welcoming 15th-placed IFK Norrkoping to Hitachi Energy Arena.
Vasteras have only picked up eight points from their 13 league matches this season, while Norrkoping have collected 11 points from their opening 13 games of the campaign.
Match preview
Vasteras entered the break off the back of a 4-0 victory over Kalmar, but they were on the end of a 2-1 defeat to Hacken last time out, with the result leaving them bottom of the table on eight points.
There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a testing campaign for the club, having only managed to win two of their 13 matches, drawing two and losing nine of the other 11.
The Green and Whites are playing in the top flight of Swedish football for the first time since 1997, having secured promotion courtesy of their second-tier success last season, and they are bidding to avoid an immediate return to the Superettan.
Kalle Karlsson's side have the second-worst home record in the division this season, only picking up four points from their seven games in front of their own fans, while Norrkoping have gathered five points from their seven league fixtures on their travels.
Norrkoping are 13-time Swedish champions, with their last success coming in 2015, while they were runners-up in the top flight in 2018.
IFK, though, are currently struggling towards the bottom of the table, boasting a record of three wins, two draws and eight defeats from their 13 league matches this season.
Andreas Alm's side have picked up 11 points, which has left them just three points ahead of 16th-placed Vesteras, demonstrating the importance of this weekend's contest.
Norrkoping will enter this match off the back of four straight defeats, including a 3-1 reverse to Djurgarden last time out, and they have not been victorious in the Allsvenskan since the end of April.
The White and Blues have lost two of their last three league games with Sunday's opponents, but they recorded a 3-1 victory when the two teams last locked horns in August 2023.
Team News
Vasteras only have one confirmed injury for this weekend's contest, with Simon Gefvert unavailable for selection due to an ACL problem.
Head coach Karlsson could potentially name the same XI that took to the field for the first whistle against Hacken last time out, with Viktor Granath again expected to lead the line.
Daniel Ask is also set to retain his spot in a midfield position, while Frederic Nsabiyumva is in line to make his 13th appearance of the campaign in the middle of the defence.
As for Norrkoping, Joseph Ceesay and Jacob Ortmark are out of the match through injury, while Yahya Kalley is unavailable for selection due to a suspension.
Kalley's absence is due to the yellow card that he picked up in the home defeat to Djurgarden last time out, and he is expected to be replaced by Marcus Baggesen in the starting side.
Christoffer Nyman is the team's leading goalscorer this season with six, and the 31-year-old will once again operate in the final third of the field this weekend.
Vasteras SK possible starting lineup:
Fagerstrom; Magnusson, Nsabiyumva, Marques; Bouzaiene, Ask, Linday, Warneryd; Ahlinvi, Granath, Boudah
IFK Norrkoping possible starting lineup:
Nilsson; Eid, Sogaard, Watson, Baggesen; Sandberg, Lushaku, Sigurgeirsson, Traustason; Nyman, Prica
We say: Vasteras SK 1-1 IFK Norrkoping
Vasteras have actually only conceded 16 times in the league this season, which is a very strong defensive record considering their position in the table, so we are not expecting many goals this weekend.
A victory for either would be huge, and cases can be made for both to win it, but we believe that a tight match between the two strugglers will end with the points being shared.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
