One round left and drama in both the top and the bottom.
* Malmö FF leads the Allsvenskan, with two points ahead of AIK, and plays at home against Halmstad.
* AIK play at home against Sirius.
* Halmstad is in thirteenth place, has a better goal difference than Degerfors who is in qualifying, and thus meets MFF away.
* Degerfors plays away against already relegated Östersund.
– Incredibly fun match to play for us, it means a lot to both teams, says Halmstad’s team captain Andreas Johansson to Fotbollskanalen.
– Malmö away is a tough and difficult match, but we see it as a big and fun match where it is important to put the defensive game for the match to live so that we can get a good result with us.
Andreas Johansson says that the focus is on his own match against MFF, but that at the same time it is clear that it can matter how things go for Degerfors away against Östersund.
– Degerfors meets the team that is last and has already left, and we meet the best team that plays for gold, he says.
– Degerfors are favorites, but it is not quite easy to go up to Östersund this time of year, it is cold and it can affect. Östersund should be more used to the cold.
Do you have to win your match?
– I think so.
Andreas Johansson has won away matches against Malmö FF. His best memory of it is from 2015 when IFK Norrköping won the gold in the last round.
– For me, it helps that I have positive memories from playing away against Malmö. I have a good feeling when I go into it. But at the same time it is a team game, some in the team will make their first match there. But there are players who have played in many other big arenas and felt the atmosphere, he says and continues:
– So it’s true that I have won there before. It’s a difficult away match, but I’ve done it before. It is required that we are good and strong in the defense. We have only conceded 26 goals. At the same time, it is important when we win the ball that we can be good then as well.
The defensive game has impressed with only 26 goals conceded (only AIK which is better), but the offensive has not been as sharp. The team has scored 21 goals, which is the worst in the Allsvenskan together with Örebro.
– We have worked a lot with the defense and put it. At the same time, we have worked a lot with the attacking game. It has bitten against all teams and we have created a lot against everyone, but have not been able to turn it into a goal. We have had high xg (expected goals) in every match. If we had received a normal dividend on expected goals, we would have been seven or eight, he says.
How do you see Malmö FF?
– I have seen Malmö a lot in the Champions League and in some Allsvenskan matches. You have incredibly good players and a good team. There is a lot of individual quality so it is important to be on your toes. Malmö is good at setting an incredible pace and is very strong in the recapture game. So we have to be there all the time, even when the ball goes out to throw, kick in and so on.
When Andreas Johansson steps out at Eleda Stadium, it will be his 400th Allsvenskan match. Something that makes the 39-year-old happy.
– It is incredibly big and I am happy proud of it. As a little boy, I dreamed of playing Allsvenskan football… and being able to do it 400 times is great. So it is clear that you are proud to have that opportunity.
Andreas Johansson hopes for a lot of joy after the match:
– It would have been a fun sight if we could see two cheering teams after the final signal, he says.
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