Helsingborgs IF - Malmo FF

Helsingborg take on Malmo FF in a game from Round 18 in the Swedish Allsvenskan league. The match will be played at Olympia Stadion in Helsingborg and will see the leaders take on 8th placed Malmo. The game looks like to be the most exciting one from this round in Sweden’s top flight but I think the current form favours the leaders who will want nothing less than the three points.

Helsinborg are holding tight on the first place in the Swedish league but their advantage over 2nd placed Elfsborg is only 3 points and head coach Karlsson will demand all the points on Saturday afternoon against Malmo. The team have done really well in recent weeks as they have won four of the last five league games scoring 15 goals in them. However, they have kept only one clean sheet and the defence of the team definitely needs strengthening if they are to keep the first place. Helsingborg won six of the eight home games this season (6-2-0) and this home record looks scary for every opponent.

Malmo are currently sitting in 8th place in the league with only 25 points from the first 16 games they have played and they clearly need to improve their form if they want to defend their title. Moreover, the two games in the preliminary Champions League qualifying rounds they played against HB (2:0 and 1:1) will definitely tire the players and it seems that the chances for retaining the title are now long gone. Malmo are on an awful run in the Allsvenskan having won only two of the last eight games (2-3-3).

Helsingborg also have the edge in the recent games between the two teams winning the last three meetings at home (3-0-0).