The Final Day preview

The 2009 Allsvenskan finishes up on Sunday afternoon with two issues still left to be resolved. The destination of the title being the obvious issue, as both AIK and IFK Göteborg clash at the Gamla Ullevi. Both sides have swapped top spot over the past few months but it is who ever can be top on Sunday will get the glory. AIK have kept the same squad together for the season but IFK have had to deal with some key departures in the summer to get to where they are now, on the brink of a first title since 2007. Not many had expected AIK to be in this position especially after such a poor 2008 season, now with a title within grasp coach Mikael Stahre maybe end his 1^st season in charge with a double as these two square up to each other next weekend in the Cup final.

Relegation: Wednesday night saw Hammarby's faith sealed now the faith of Örgryte or Djurgården will be decided come Sunday. Djrugården are two points clear of Örgryte in the play-off so a win for Djurgården will secure them the play-off no matter what Örgryte do. Kalmar are the visitors to the Stadion for Djurgården while Örgryte travel to Gävle to play Gefle. With both sides playing teams that have nothing to play for it looks like both could secure points. But neither Kalmar or Gefle will be taking it easy.

The best of the rest: Relegated Hammarby play their final Allsvenskan fixture until 2011 at the earliest when BK Häcken come to the Söderstadion. Hammarby will want to end an awful campaign with a win and having seen their Europa League dreams disappear on Wednesday BK Häcken will want a win also.

Örebro host Trelleborgs in a game that may have nothing to decide but it gives the hosts a chance of finishing 5^th. Trelleborgs have had a good year considering they were among the names to be involved in a relegation fight.

Elfsborg host Helsingborgs in what should've been a 3^rd place decider until Helsingborgs fell apart. Without Henrik Larsson it will be interesting to see how Helsingborgs will do next year.

Halmstads had one of those years where nothing went right yet they still managed to keep their place in the league. Although 2009 could've been better it also could've been worse had it not been for the struggles of the former giants. GAIS managed to keep their league place as well and will go out on Sunday in good spirit.

Malmö host IF Brommapojkarna a game that will not decide anything bar final league finishes. An opportunity to test younger players and finge players for both with nothing at stake.

AIK 1-1 Örebro 28th October 2009

Örebro managed the get a point at the Råsunda despite going 1-0 down. AIK went into the game level on points after IFK drew last night. A win would've made their job on Sunday easier against IFK. Martin Kayongo-Mutumba put AIK in front after 57 minutes which seemed like it would open the door to more goals. Those goals never came but instead Örebro rallied against the fanatical home support and managed to silence the majority of the 23,000 odd fans. Twenty minutes to go and an own goal that appeared to go in off goalkeeper Daniel Örlund the moment that the visitors drew level. A point shared by both sides but with AIK a point clear of IFK, they know a win or a draw on Sunday will secure the title. Örebro meanwhile have a chance to finish a creditable 5^th.

Trelleborgs 4-2 Hammarby 28th October 2009

Hammarby in the Superettan next season, that is the case for the former title winners as they suffered the pain of relegation. A night that started so well when Patrik Gerrbrand put Hammarby 1-0 on the half-hour. Trelleborgs leveled right before half-time through Fredrik Jensen who made know mistake. Simon Helg put Hammarby back in the lead on 53 minutes as they looked for the win that would've put them in with a chance of the play-off. Kristian Haynes leveled matters eleven minutes from time as Hammarby began to fall apart. Two minutes later the hosts took the lead when Magnus Andersson managed to get himself on the scoring act. Hammarby were facing the inevitable and just to add salt to the wounds Trelleborgs' Joakim Sjöge made it 4-2 in added time. Hammarby down and a long winter of soul searching begins.

Helsingborgs 0-2 Djurgården 28th October 2009

Djurgården are a win away from securing the play-off with Assyriska and after this result they have set themselves up for a final showdown on Sunday. Helsingborgs will class this year as a failure, the failure to secure European football the major disappointment. With nothing to play for Helsingborgs went 1-0 down on 37 minutes with Yosif Ayuba striking. Mid-way through the 2^nd half Djurgården put the game away when Prince Ikpe Ekong found the net past Daniel Andersson.

Örgryte 1-1 Elfsborg 28th October 2009

Örgryte fought for a point at home to Elfsborg. The Borås club had already secured a Europa League were not prepared to take it easy against the relegation threatened club. A strong line-up that features the likes of Emir Bajrami, Anders Svensson and co will be disappointed by the result. Örgryte fighting hard to avoid the drop went behind in the 24^th minutes to a James Keene strike. A defeat would've opened the doors for relegation and with that in kind Örgryte drew level with just seven minutes left, Pavel Zavadil the hero of scoring the equalizer. Sunday is do or die for Örgryte, a win and they have a chance otherwise it's the Superettan next year.

BK Häcken 0-0 Gefle 28th October 2009

The dream is over fro BK Häcken as this result meant they are now five points behind Kalmar with just a game left. A 0-0 draw in the late October cold wasn't the ideal situation. Gefle's final trip in a season that saw them slip from the brink of Europe to a mid-table finish.

Allsvenskan tonight

The 29^th round of matches conclude tonight with five games scheduled. The pick of the bunch is AIK v Örebro a game that if the hosts win will be a massive step towards securing the title on Sunday. Örebro will be no pushovers here and will be up for up for this game. IFK Göteborg will be hoping that they can draw or even beat the Stockholm giants.

Elsewhere on Wednesday night Örgryte hosts Elfsborg in a game that the hosts simply have to win. The relegation is between three former giants of the Swedish game and with 3^rd bottom going into a play-off with Assryiska everything is to play-for. Elfsborg have a Europa League place secured and are effectively out of the title race.

Trelleborgs host a Hammarby side that is also in real danger of going down. It is a situation that has many in the green part of Stockholm it with plenty to worry about. Trelleborgs have nothing to play for but nonetheless will want to end a satisfactory campaign by having something to say in the basement battle. Hammarby currently bottom with 22 points are a point off the play-off spot and a win will do a world of good.

Helsingborgs will be the opponents for Djurgården tonight with a disappointing season about to end for both clubs. Helsingborgs missing out on a Eruopa League place is disappointing but Djurgården facing relegation will have to win tonight and on Sunday. Henrik Larsson is retiring so Helsingborgs will be looking for a good result here to end the campaign on a high note.

BK Häcken have to win tonight to have any chance of grabbing the final Europa League place ahead of Kalmar. Six points behind today with a game in hand the Göteborg outfit, only promoted at the start of the campaign can end it with European football next summer. Jonas Henriksson will have to be on song tonight to get past opponents Gefle. Gefle have nothing but pride to play for tonight in a season that promised so much for the Gävle club.

Kalmar 5-4 Malmö 27th October 2009

What a game! The only disappointing thing about this was it wasn't live on TV. Both sides chasing a Europa league place bought out a fantastic game of goals. Nine-goal thrillers are rare and it all started just 4 minutes in when Ricardo Santos beat Johan Dahlin. Ten minutes later Malmö were level thanks to Daniel Larsson, enjoying a fine end to the season. 25 minutes in saw Malmö take the lead with Larsson getting his 2^nd of the chili evening. Edward Ofere got in on the act by making it 3-1 to the visitors on 32 minutes. Three minutes later the 2008 champions were back in the game at 3-2 thanks to Abiola Dauda. Four minutes before the break Daniel Sobralense leveled for 3-3 at the break. The 2^nd half took almost twenty minutes to see a goal and when it came it was Malmö celebrating as Edward Ofere got his 2^nd goal of the game. Kalmar needed to win and with five minutes to go they found the equalizer through Daniel Sobralense. But as if 4-4 wasn't enough, Abiola Dauda ensured that Kalmar were to come out on top by making it 5-4 in added time. The win keeps Kalmar 4^th and end Malmö's hopes.

IFK Göteborg 2-2 Halmstads 27th October 2009

A game that might decide the title race and looked like Halmstads were going to be taking the three points after building up a 2-0 lead at half-time, with IFK Göteborg staring defeat in the face. Halmstads took the lead after 29 minutes through Emir Kujovic. Right before half-time Jonas Gudni Saevarsson made it 2-0 as IFK Göteborg faced losing ground in the title race. 52 minutes in Tobias Hysén pulled one back for IFK. The introduction of Niklas Alexandersson changed the game and on 76 minutes the former Sunderland striker Hysén leveled for the title chasers. A massive point but if AIK are victorious over Örebro on Wednesday they need nothing other than a win on the final day to have a chance.

Sweden’s hunt for new manager

The Swedish press have continued to speculate as to who will become the new manager following Lars Lagerbäck's resignation earlier this month. Lagerbäck resigned following the failure to qualify for the World cup and said that a change will be good. So far the Swedish FA hasn't named his successor. Speculation had been mounting that Fulham boss Roy Hodgson was in line to take over. Hodgson, who has a wealth of Scandinavian experience under his belt including spells at Malmö and Örebro while also managing Finland turned down the offer, Hodgson also added he is happy at Fulham. Other names that have been talked about are Mikael Stahre, currently managing AIK to a possible title triumph, Stefan Rehn has also been mentioned and quiet spectacularly Patrick Walker formally of Örebro has been mentioned as well. Hans Backe was a leading contendor until he chose to link up with old-friend Sven Göran Eriksson at Notts County in League two.

Personally I think they should appoint a Swedish manager who knows the players and the league as well as a good style of play which at times was lacking under Lagerbäck. Of some of the names mentioned I think Mikael Stahre would be a good choice. Roy Hodgson would've been a fantastic manager from his time with Finland he was on the brink of getting them into Euro 2008 and has worked wonders with Fulham since taking over.

Gefle 2-1 Trelleborgs 25th October 2009

Gefle's stuttering campaign appears to be ending on a better note after this victory of Trelleborgs. Trelleborgs's who made the longest away trip this season found themselves 1-0 down after just 14 minutes when Alexander Gerndt found the net. 52 minutes in it seemed like Trelleborgs might well have been better off staying at home after Andreas Dahlén made it 2-0 to the hosts. Joakim Sjöhage pulled one back on 70 minutes but it was too little to get a point.

GAIS 0-1 IF Brommapojkarna 26th October 2009

Both sides have secured their places in next season Allsvenskan so it wasn't as exciting as it would've appeared a few weeks ago. GAIS who have had an unremarkable season lost this one when Philip Haglund, who hasen't had a bad season personally found the net after 75 minutes. The results moves IF Brommapojkarna into 11^th with 33 points with one game left while GAIS are 12^th a point behind.

Superettan Final Day

The Superettan finished on Saturday afternoon with a few issues yet to be resolved. First was the important promotion play-off spot which was contested by Assysriska and Syrianska. The second issue was the relegation. No one was confirmed as going down until this final day in which any one from six could go down to the 3rd tier.

Promotion Play-off: With both Mjällby and Åtvidabergs taking the automatic promotion berths before the final day the play-off spot was up for grabs between Assyriska and Syrianska. Both faced teams fighting against relegation with Assyriska travelling to Jönköping Södra while Syrianska hosted Sirius. On paper it looked life easy wins for both but it was to prove a long afternoon. Assyriska went behind midway through the first half but leveled soon after. As Assyriska went 2-1 down, Syrianska were being held by Sirius. As the 2^nd half rolled on Syrianska went in front while Assysriska were still 2-1 behind. 71 minutes in Assysiska were level at 2-2 enough to take them up. It stayed like that for nine minutes until Jönköping Södra took the lead again which meant it would've been Syrianska going up. But with time running out and Syrianska beating Sirius 1-0, Xhevdat Llumnica forced home for Assyriska to make it 3-3 that saw Assyriska sneak into the play-off spot.

Relegation: That 1-0 defeat to Syrianska meant Sirius went down while Jönköping Söodra's 3-3 draw was enough to secure their place in the league next season. Vasalunds, Qviding, FC Trollhätten, Väsby United and IFK Norrköping were all in the running to avoid the drop. The bottom two were to go down automatically while the next two up were to enter the play-offs. A relegation six-pointer between FC Trollhätten and Vasalunds was key. Another six-pointer was Qviding's visit to Väsby United both in deep trouble, while IFK Norrköping went to Falkenbergs. FC Trollhätten emerged as 3-1 winner in a nervy showing by both. That result condemned Vasalunds to relegation alongside Sirius. The two play-off spot were next and FC Trollhätten secured one thanks to their victory. The last play-off spot was taken by Qviding, who could only draw 1-1 against Väsby United. This ensured that Väsby United secured their place for next season in the Superettan alongside IFK Norrköping who drew 1-1 with Falkenbergs.

Table:

1	Mjällby	65
2	Åtvidabergs	57
3	Assyriska	51
4	Syrianska	50
5	GIF Sundsvall	47
6	Falkenbergs	45
7	Ängelholms	44
8	Landskrona BoIS	40
9	Ljungskile	40
10	Jönköping Södra	36
11	IFK Norrköping	35
12	Väsby United	33
13	FC Trollhätten	32
14	Qviding	31
15	Sirius	31
16	Vasalunds	29

Elfsborg 1-1 BK Häcken 24th October 2009

Elfsborg are effectively out of the title after this result which leaves them six points off AIK with two games left. They got a lucky break on 23 minutes when Mattias Östberg put through his own net. Elfsborg would've taken a 1-0 win to stay in the title race but Marcus Jarlegren popped up in added time to dash the title hopes of Elfsborg and keep BK Häcken in with a shout of a Europa League place. They are three points off 4^th spot with two games to go.

Hammarby 1-2 AIK 25th October 2009

Having seen title rivals IFK Göteborg win on Saturday AIK knew a win would take them back to the top while their opponents Hammarby knew a win would help their quest to avoid relegation. Brazilian Antônio Flávio opened the scoring for AIK after 34 minutes which settled some nerves. But this was a Stockholm derby and Hammarby drew level on the hour-mark through Simon Helg. It was anyones game after that point with chances for each side but AIK made Hammarby pay for wastfulness, Kenny Pavey find the net on 71 minutes which proved to be the winner. AIK return to the top while Hammarby have a week to save their skin in the Allsvenskan.

Djurgården 2-1 Örgryte 24th October 2009

Needless to say this was possibly the biggest win of the season for Djurgården. Not only were Örgryte in good form recently but Djurgården have a chance of having a 2^nd chance by nabbing that play-off spot. With Hammarby playing title chasing AIK on Sunday this was a vital game for both sides. It was the hosts who struck first through former Örebro defender Patrik Haginge. That goal was to be the highlight of Haginge's mixed afternoon. 53 minutes played and Örgryte were level through Alexander Mellqvist. Then the controversy started as Patrik Haginge was sent-off on 55 minutes. Hrvoje Milic converted a penalty and was then promptly sent-off as Djurgården faced a battle to hold onto their lead.

IF Brommapojkarna 0-3 IFK Göteborg 23rd October 2009

IFK Göteborg went top for at least 24 hours after they made light work of IF Brommapojkarna at the Grimsta IP in front of 3,822 fans. A goalless first-half appeared to put the pressure right on the title chasing side and came out for the 2^nd half with a work-man-like performance. Tobias Hysén opened the scoring just four minutes into the 2^nd half and from there, there was going to be only one winner. IFK Göteborg produced a four minute spree that included three goals in the reverse fixture back in May but this time they managed two in three minutes. Niclas Alexandersson, who came out of retirement a few weeks ago made it 2-0 on 80 minutes and just minutes later Alexandersson teed up Hysén for his 2^nd and a 3-0 win.

GAIS 1-1 Malmö 23rd October 2009

GAIS maybe safe but there was a real effort about them in this game as they ensured Malmö would head down the raod with just a point. Malmö, whose European hopes have been strengthened by that run of form that was ended last week. Mattias Lindström opened the scoring after 24 minutes from Eyjólfur Hédinsson's assist. GAIS kept hold of that 1-0 lead right until the final minute when former AIK star Wilton Figueiredo pounced to snatch a point for the visitors. Overall though Malmö will more disappointed.

Örebro 2-1 Halmstads 23rd October 2009

Örebro propelled themselves back into Europa League contention after a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Halmstads. Emir Kujovic had given the visitors the lead after 29 minutes of play at the Behrn Arena. Three minutes later though Roni Porokara leveled things up. Örebro had chances after that but after 68 minutes they took the lead when Porokara got his 2^nd of the night. The win moves Örebro to within three points of 4^th place.

Örebro: John Alvbåge (g.k): Patrik Anttonen, Michael Almebäck, Magnus Wikström, Alejandro Bedoya, Magnus Kihlberg (C), Nordin Gerzic, Markus Astvald, Kim Olsen, Roni Porokara subs: Peter Westman (g.k), Per Johansson, Robin Staaf, Tommy Wirtanen, Adriano Munoz

Halmstads: Magnus Bahne (g.k): Emil Salomonsson, Tomas Zvirgzdauskas (C), Johnny Lundberg, Per Johansson, Anel Raskaj, Mikael Rosén, Jonas Gudni Saevarsson, Michael Görlitz, Marcus Olsson, Emir Kujovic subs: Karl-Johan Johnson (g.k), Markus Gustafsson, Azrach Mahamat, Anselmo

Venue: Behrn Arena

Time: 18:00 CET

BK Häcken 2-1 Djurgården 19th October 2009

BK Häcken are just three points off a remarkable achievement of qualifying for the Europa League. This result keeps them up with a chance of overtaking Kalmar in the race for the Europa League. They had to come from behind against their relegation threatened opponents Djurgården. Hrvoje Milić gave the struggling former champions the lead just five minutes before half-time. It looked like Djurgården were going to record a priceless victory until Vinicius leveled on 74 minutes. Just four minutes later European-chasing BK Häcken took the lead through John Chibuike, who is having a fine season that may have a fantastic reward.

BK Häken: Christoffer Källqvist (g.k): Johan Lind, Mattias Östberg, Tom Söderberg, David Frölund, Erik Friberg, Dominic Chatto, Jonas Henriksson (C), John Chibuike, Paulo De Oliveira, Mathias Ranégie subs: Damir Mehic (g.k), Josef Karlsson, Vinicius, Peter Nyström, Daniel Forsell

Djurgården: Pa Dembo Touray (g.k): Kebba Ceesay, Peter Magnusson, Toni Kuivasto, Petter Gustafsson, Christer Youssef, Prince Ikpe Ekong, Patrik Haginge, Krvoje Milić, Mikael Dahlberg (C), Mattias Jonson subs: Oskar Wahlström (g.k), Philip Hellquist, Yosif Ayuba, Boyd Mwila, Leandro Ortiz

Venue: Rambergsvallen

Time: 19:00 CET

Halmstads 1-0 Hammarby 19th October 2009

Hammarby are in danger of dropping into the Superettan while Halmstads have appeared to secure their place in the Allsvenskan next year. Not a greta game to be honest which saw a cagey Hammarby battle to win the three points. Halmstads secured the three points when Tim Sparv, who is off to FC Groningen in January scored the winner twelve minutes from time as Hammarby remain a point behind Örgryte in the play-off spot.

Halmstads: Magnus Bahne (g.k): Emil Salmonsson, Tomas Zvirgzdauskas (C), Johnny Lundberg, Per Johansson, Anel Raskaj, Tim Sparv, Jonas Gudni Saevarsson, Michael Görlitz, Emir Kujovic, Marcus Olsson
subs: Karl-Johan Johnson (g.k), Mikael Rosén, Azrach Mahamat, Anselmo, Joe Sise

Hammarby: Rami Shaaban (g.k): David Johansson, Patrik Gerrbrand, Christian Traoré, Emil Johansson, José Monteiro, Andreas Dahl, Fredrik Söderström (C), Rafael Magalhaes subs: Krisstoffer Björklund (g.k), Carlos Gaete Moggia, Nathan Paulse, Linus Hallenius, Vladico Zlojutro

Venue: Örjans Vall

Time: 19:00 CET

Malmö 0-1 IFK Göteborg 19th October 2009

IFK Göteborg moved back into within a point of leaders AIK. This was a vital win for the 2^nd city side and ended the fantastic run of Malmö. Thomas Olsson, who haven't featured as regularly as in recent years scored the only goal after 28 minutes. The title race continues to throw up some fascinating results.

Malmö: Johan Dahlin (g.k): Ulrich Vinzents, Jasmin Sudic, Markus Halsti, Ricardo Ferreira, Guillermo Molins, Daniel Andersson (C), Robert Åhman-Persson, Jiloan Hamad, Daniel Larsson, Edward Ofere subs: Dusan Melichárek (g.k), Wilton Figueiredo, Pontus Jansson, Ivo Pekalski, Agon Mehmeti

IFK Göteborg: Kim Christensen (g.k): Erik Lund, Ragnar Sigurdsson, Hjalmar Jonsson, Mikael Dyrestam, Gustav Svensson, Sebastian Eriksson, Stefan Selakovic (C), Thomas Olsson, Theodor Bjarnason, Hannes Stiller subs: Markus Sandberg (g.k), Tobias Hysén, Jakob Johansson, Niklas Bärkroth, Niclas Alexandersson

Venue: Swedbank Arena

Time: 19:00 CET

Åtvidabergs Promoted

Åtvidabergs have won promotion to the Allsvenskan for next season. The club have secured the 2^nd automatic promotion place with one game to spare after a 1-0 win away to bottom club Vasalunds. The club will make a return to the top tier for the first time since being relegated in 1982. They join Mjälby in the Allsvenskan next year with the 3^rd identity to be decided next month. To their credit Åtvidabergs kept some sort of challenge to runaway winners Mjällby but the work starts here for the club that hasn't seen any Allsvenskan action since the early 80s. Peter Swärdh has built a good team that included some loan signings during the year and now that Allsvenskan football has been secured maybe some of those signings will return next year. No doubt it is a proud moment in the small town of Åtvidabergs.

Örgryte 3-0 Helsingborgs 18th October 2009

A massive three points for Örgryte as they battle the drop. Helsingborgs continue to stay outside the top 4 after this result. The turning point in the match was the sending off of Helsingborgs defender Joel Ekstrand was sent off for a rash challenge in the box that resulted in a penalty. Álvaro Santos stood up and stroked past Daniel Andersson for 1-0. Down to ten men the best Helsingborgs could fight for was a point and that appeared out of reach when the Brazilian Álvaro Santos made it 2-0 on 56 minutes. To rub salt into the wounds of Helsingborgs, Álvaro Santos completed his hat-trick on 65 minutes to round off a good day's work for the strugglers.

Örgryte: Bengt Andersson (g.k): Björn Anklev, Dennis Jonsson, Robin Jonsson, Roy Miller, Markus Gustafsson, Sebastian Johansson, Alexander Mellqvist, Alessandro Perreira, Marcus Allbäck (C), Álvaro Santos subs: Peter Abrahamsson (g.k), Markus Anderberg, Adam Eriksson, Nicolas Sandberg, Magnus Källander

Helsingborgs: Daniel Andersson (g.k): Erik Wahlstedt, Marcus Nilsson, Joel Ekstrand, Adama Tamboura, Christoffer Andersson (C), Isaac Chansa, Ólafur Skúlason, Fredrik Svanbäck, René Makondelé, Rasmus Jönsson subs: Hampus Nilsson (g.k), Hannu Patronen, Rafael Oliveira, Fredrik Liverstam, Samuel Aziz

Venue: Gamla Ullevi

Time: 15:00 CET

IF Brommapojkarna 3-0 Örebro 18th October 2009

Örebro's push for a Europa League place appears to be dying after another heavy defeat left them with a gap to fill. Having suffered a 3-0 defeat to Malmö, Örebro went to Stockholm to face IF Brommapojkarna who now look safe after this victory. Two minutes was all it took for Mauricio Albornoz to find the net past John Alvbåge. Örebro went 2-0 down after 52 minutes when the other Albornoz got his goal, Miiko getting himself onto the score sheet. Olof Guterstam got his reward for a fine afternoon when getting the 3^rd goal just a minute later to round off a perfect day for IF Brommapojkarna.

IF Brommapojkarna: Benny Lekström (g.k): Tim Björkström, Richard Henriksson, Markus Karlsson (C), Kim Odelius, Mauricio Albornoz, Gabriel Petkovic, Olof Guterstam, Philip Haglund, Miiko Albornoz, Pablo Pinones Arce subs: Kristoffer Nordfeldt (g.k), Nabil Bahoui, Andreas Eriksson, Max Clauss, Ted Fontér

Örebro: John Alvbåge (g.k): Patrik Anttonen, Michael Almebäck, Fredrik Nordback (C), Samuel Wowoah, Nordin Gerzic, Magnus Kihlberg, Per Johansson, Eric Bassombeng, Kim Olsen, Roni Porokara subs: Peter Westman (g.k), Robin Staaf, Tommy Wirtanen, Glenn Holgersson, Markus Astvald

Venue: Grimsta IP

Time: 15:00 CET

AIK 1-0 Gefle 17th October 2009

Leaders AIK won again by a narrow margin as they close in on their first championship since 1998. This win means they are now four points clear of IFK Göteborg, who play tomorrow. Gefle on a run of just two wins in the last eight games lost again and they will end 2009 on a sour note. They made the trip down and played well that deserved a point. AIK needed just one goal to win this game and it was Gabriel Özkan on 70 minutes. AIK have a Stockholm derby against Hammarby next weekend as they go out for the title.

AIK: Daniel Örland (g.k): Markus Jonsson, Per Karlsson, Jos Hooiveld, Nils-Eric Johansson, Martin Kayongo-Mutumba, Jorge Ortiz, Daniel Tjernström (C), Bojan Djordjic, Antônio Flávio, Iván Óbolo subs: Nicklas Bergh (g.k), Walid Atta, Miran Burgič, Kenny Pavey, Gabriel Özkan

Gefle: Mattias Hugosson (g.k): Daniel Bernhardsson (C), Olof Mård, Omar Jawo, Andreas Dahlén, Jonas Lantto, Yannick Bapupa, Yussif Chibsah, Hjalmar Öhagen, Daniel Westlin, Alexander Gerndt subs: Emil Hedvall (g.k), Johannes Ericsson, Bernhard Nyström, Daniel Leino, Marcus Hansson

Venue: Råsunda

Time: 16:00 CET

Kalmar 2-2 GAIS 17th October 2009

Kalmar slipped to 4^th after this draw against a GAIS side who are now safe of automatic relegation after this result. Alexander Axén's side have been picking up enough points here and there while Kalmar have dropped points in recent weeks. Fans barely had time to get settled when Daniel Sobralense found the net in the very first minutes for one of the fastest goals this season. Another Brazilian scored but for GAIS on 17 minutes, the highly rated Wanderson getting another goal in a fantastic season for him. Reinaldo became the 3^rd Brazilian to score when giving Kalmar the lead again just short of the hour mark. GAIS were pushing for the point and found it through Mervan Celik. Celik, a 19-year old with a promising future could be the star for GAIS next season.

Kalmar: Petter Wastå (g.k): Mattias Johansson, Marcus Lindberg, Joachim Lantz, Emin Nouri, Tobias Eriksson, Henrik Rydström (C), Daniel Sobralense, Reinaldo, Ricardo Santos, Stefan Larsson subs: Zlatan Azinovic (g.k), Jimmie Augustsson, Stefan Ålander, Erik Israelsson, Lasse Johansson

GAIS: Dime Jankulovski (g.k): Richard Ekunde, Calum Angus, Fredrik Lundgrén, Kenneth Gustafsson, Reuben Ayarna, Eyjólfur Hédinsson, Mattias Lindström, Wanderson Do Carmo, Romario Sipiao, Pär Ericsson subs: Magnus Jonsson (g.k), Hallgrímur Jónasson, Gudjón Baldvinsson, Björn Andersson, Mervan Celik

Venue: Fredriksskans

Time: 16:00 CET

Trelleborgs 0-1 Elfsborg 17th October 2009

Elfsborg moved back into contention for the title after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Trelleborgs. The Borås club are now 3^rd depending on results else where they are just a point off the top. The game had only one goal to sort the outcome and it came through Martin Ericsson after 74 minutes. The defeat keeps Trelleborg mid-table.

Trelleborgs: Viktor Norling (g.k): Dennis Melander (C), Peter Abelsson, Jens Sloth, Yousef Fakhro, Joakim Nilsson, Magnus Andersson, Kristian Haynes, Andreas Wihlborg, Andreas Drugge, Joakim Sjöhage subs: Fredrik Persson (g.k), Mikael Bengtsson, Zoran Jovanović, Fredrik Jensen, Marcus Falk-Olander

Elfsborg: Ante Covic (g.k): Johan Karlsson, Martin Andersson (C), Anders Wikströ, Mathias Florén, Helgi Danielsson, Anders Svensson, Stefan Ishizaki, Martin Ericsson, Emir Bajrami, Daniel Mobaeck subs: Joakim Wulff (g.k): Denni Avdic, Teddy Lucic, Daniel Nordmark, James Keene

Venue: Vångavallen

Time: 14:00 CET

Allsvenskan resumes

The Allsvenskan is back this weekend after the inetnational break and with just three weeks left in the season nothing is still decided. A title-race that may go down to the final minutes is on the cards while the relegation battle sees three former giants battling to save their skins. The chase for Europe is heating up in the chilli breezes of a Swedish winter.

Fixtures: Saturday
Trelleborgs v Elfsborg (14:00)
AIK v Gefle (16:00)
Kalmar v GAIS (16:00)

Sunday:
Orgryte v Helsingborgs (15:00)
IF Brommapojkarna v Orebro (16:00)

Monday:
Malmo v IFK Goteborg (19:00)
Halmstads v Hammarby (19:00)
BK Hacken v Djurgarden (19:00)

The game of the weekend has to be Malmo v IFK Goteborg. Malmo have had a blinding run of form that has propelled them into Europa League contention while IFK Goteborg need points to secure a first title sucess since 2007.
Other games see Orgryte looking to battle relegation against Europa League hopefuls Helsingborgs while both Hammarby and Djurgarden face difficult away trips over the weekend.

Sweden 4-1 Albania 14th October 2009

In the end it wasn't enough for Sweden to book a play-off place as Portugal overcame Malta to pip that spot. Sweden had to win to have any chance and they did that in style over an Albanian side already out of contention. Olympiakos defender Olof Mellberg put the Swedes in front after six minutes before Marcus Berg, u-21 championship top scorer made it 2-0 on 40 minutes. Mellberg got his 2nd of the night two minutes later as Sweden went in 3-0 at the break.
Albania came out fighting in the 2nd-half and pulled a goal back through Hamdi Salihi on 57 minutes which in the end didn't count for anything in the match. The result was safe but Anders Svensson capped off a mixed night for Sweden with a 4th four minutes from time.
Lars Lagerback departs with Sweden out of the world cup.

Lars Lagerbäck to quit

Sweden national coach Lars Lagerbäck is quitting after the world cup campaign. Lagerbäck has been in charge since 1998 and has qualified Sweden for Euro 2005, World cup 2006 and Euro 2008. The Swede and his assistant Roland Andersson have both desided to quit when the current campaign finishes which could be on Wednesday if Portugal get a win at home to Malta or it could be in South Africa should Sweden win and Portugal fail to win. With a vital game on Wednesday, Sweden can only win and hope to qualify for the play-off which will prove to be a tough test.

Should Sweden qualify Lagerbäck's men face a tough play-off round which is drawn next Monday lunchtime. Possible opponents include Ukraine or Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina (which would be an interesting game), Slovenia and of course the Republic of Ireland. However the opponents will be decided on Wednesday after the final games.

Denmark 1-0 Sweden 10th October 2009

After getting six points from six in September's doubled header Sweden ended up losing to Denmark in København on Saturday night. Denmark who beat the Swedes 1-0 in the reverse fixture back in June have qualified for South Africa after this result which leaves Portugal, Sweden and Hungary vying for the important play-off spot. The only goal of the game came from Denmark's Jakob Poulsen with a long-range finish which is his first international goal. The loss has meant Sweden need a win on Wednesday at home to Albania and hope that Portugal fail to win at home to Malta.

IFK Göteborg 2-1 GAIS 5th October 2009

IFK Göteborg had one man to thank for closing the gap on AIK at the top here. Captain Stefan Selakovic, who scored both goals that keep IFK's hopes of winning the title for the first time since 2007 alive. But this local derby was to prove a tough test for the blue and whites. Selakovic gave them a 37^th minutes lead which was cancelled out by Icelandic Eyjólfur Hédinsson ten minutes into the 2^nd half. GAIS would've been settled for a point away to their more illustrious local rivals but Selakovic popped up with an injury time winner sparking massive celebrations on the IFK bench. A tough last three weeks lie ahead but IFK are ready it appears.

Elfsborg 0-0 AIK 4th October 2009

The late game saw Elfsborg host table topping AIK but the game was bit of a disappointment. However the draw leaves AIK top with Elfsborg four points behind in 3^rd. Their was no way past either keeper in this title six-pointer in which the result favoures 2^nd place IFK Göteborg who play of the 5^th.

Örebro 0-3 Malmö 4th October 2009

A few weeks ago this would've been a surprise result but in recent weeks Malmö have gone form a mid-table side to European chasing side courtesy of a truck load of goals. Having stuck five past Elfsborg and another few against Gefle the southern side put fellow European chasing Örebro to the sword in the 2^nd half. 52 minutes in Daniel Larsson made it 1-0 to the visiting side before getting his 2^nd just seven minutes later. With minutes left in injury time Larsson completed his hat-trick for a 3-0 win and leave Malmö with a possible European place as a reward for their blistering recent form. Örebro slip back further but Europe is not out completely out of the question.

Helsingborgs 1-0 BK Häcken

Helsingborgs moved to within three points of 4^th placed Kalmar who occupy the final Europa League place. BK Häcken themselves are also in the running for that final spot but this is a cruel and vital defeat in the race for European football next summer. The only goal of the game came with just three minutes of normal time remaining and it came in the shape of Helsingborgs' fan favourite Henrik Larsson.

Gefle 1-0 Halmstads 4th October 2009

Gefle finally recorded a win to stop their dip in form which had seen them slip from breaking into the top 4 to mid-table in the past few weeks. As for Halmstads their own bad form has continued and are worryingly conceding although they did only concede one here. The timing of the goal will have Halmstads worried as it took Gefle just two minutes to take the lead, Daniel Westlin with the strike. Halmstads continue to struggle.

Hammarby 1-0 IF Brommapojkarna 4th October 2009

Hammarby followed on from points gained by fellow strugglers Djurgården and Örgryte by getting a vital win to move back into the play-off place. A dull first half was ended on a high not when Simon Helg gave the struggling giants the lead. The 2^nd half saw IF Brommapojkarna come back into the game more but they couldn't find a way past the defense or Rami Shaaban.

Örgryte 4-2 Kalmar 3rd October 2009

A massive and vital win for Örgryte. Having been bottom for almost the entire season we are finally seeing some recovery from Åge Hareide's side. Twenty miniutes into this game and Örgryte were in front through Markus Gustafsson. The second arrived in Alvaro Santos on 38 minutes which left Kalmar needing a big fightback to come back. Just shy of the hour mark Jimmie Augustsson pulled one back for the champions. 67 minutes gone and Alvaro Santos made the result look safe by making it 3-1. Three minutes later Örgryte had Sebastian Johansson to thank for the fourth goal before Daniel Sobralense made the score more respectable at 4-2.

Djurgården 0-0 Trelleborgs 3rd October 2009

Djurgården remain in big relegation trouble despite this point at home to Trelleborgs. Things haven't quiet gone to plan this year for the former Swedish champions as they face an uncertain last three weeks of the season. Trelleborgs look clear of the relegation zone after this point.

Djurgården:
Pa Dembo Touray (g.k): Kebba Ceesay, Petter Magnusson, Toni Kuivasto, Petter Gustafsson, Dan Burlin, Markus Johannesson (C), Prince Ikpe Ekong, Christer Youssef, Mikael Dahlberg, Philip Hellquist subs: Oskar Wahlström (g.k), Patrik Haginge, Jan Tauer, Hrvoje Milic, Sebastian Rajalakso

Trelleborgs: Viktor Norling (g.k): Dennis Melander (C), Peter Abelsson, Jens Sloth, Yousef Fakhro, Joakim Nilsson, Magnus Andersson, Kristian Haynes, Andreas Wihlborg, Andreas Drugge, Joakim Sjöhage subs: Fredrik Persson (g.k), Mikael Bengtsson, Marcus Pode, Fredrik Jensen, Thommie Persson

Venue: Stadion

Time: 13:00 CET

IF Brommapojkarna 1-0 Gefle 29th September 2009

Rewind three months and who find that Gefle were pushing hard for a European places but since then things have gone sour so to speak. Gefle were getting postitive results against title chasers such as Elfsborg and AIK but now Gefle are struggling for form. This defeat comes as Gefle had pushed but surely things can turn good again. One goal sorted this match and arrived just two minutes into the 2^nd half through Nabil Bahoui. A good win for IF Brommapojkarna who are five points clear of the play-off zone.

IF Brommapojkarna: Benny Lekström (g.k): Pär Asp, Richard Henriksson, Markus Karlsson (C), Miiko Albornoz, Imad Chhadeh, Gabriel Petrovic, Olof Guterstam, Philip Haglund, Joakim Runnemo, Nabil Bahoui subs: Kristoffer Nordfeldt (g.k), Maurico Albornoz, Labinot Kelmendi, Serge Junior Ngouali, Ted Fontér

Gefle: Mattias Hugosson (g.k): Daniel Bernhardsson (C), Daniel Theorin, Omar Jawo, Andreas Dahlén, Marcus Hansson, Yannick Bapupa, Yussif Chibsah, Jonas Lantto, Daniel Westlin, Bernhard Nyström subs: Emil Hedvall (g.k), Olof Mård, Johannes Ericsson, Hjalmar Öhagen, Alexander Gerndt

Venue: Grimsta IP

Time: 19:00 CET

BK Häcken 2-0 Örgryte 28th September 2009

One of the surprise packages of the season BK Häcken recorded a vital 2-0 win over bottom club Örgryte. A Göteborg derby this one and it was BK Häcken who took the bragging rights here. It started after Örgryte had defender David Leinar sent-off on 28 minutes. That sending off appeared to give BK Häcken the advantage. Things turned even worse for the bottom side when former Aston Villa striker Marcus Allbäck was sent-off for a 2^nd yellow card in four minutes. John Chibuike then gave BK Häcken the lead on 79 minutes after some great moves in midfield. Five minutes later the game was over as a contest for the nine men of Örgryte, as Jonas Bjurström got the 2^nd goal on 84 minutes.

BK Häcken: Christoffer Källqvist (g.k): David Frölund, Mattias Östberg, Tom Söderberg, Marcus Jarlegren, Josef Karlsson, Dominic Chatto, John Chibuike, Erik Friberg, Jonas Henriksson (C), Mathias Ranégie subs: Damir Mehic (g.k), Emil Wahlström, Vinicius, Peter Nyström, Jonas Bjurström

Örgryte: Bengt Andersson (g.k): Björn Anklev, Dennis Jonsson, David Leinar, Roy Miller, Alexander Mellqvist, Pavel Zavadil, Sebastian Johansson, Alessandro Perreira, Marcus Allbäck (C), Nicolas Sandberg subs: Peter Abrahamsson (g.k), Markus Gustafsson, Markus Anderberg, Adam Eriksson, Magnus Källander

Venue: Rambergsvallen

Time: 19:00 CET

AIK 2-0 Djurgården 28th September 2009

AIK continued theirquest for the title after defeating struggling Djurgården. AIK are now in with a huge shoot of the title but will need to keep winning in what is becoming the tightest title race in years. Djurgården themselves could do with wins as they are in real danger of relegation. Antônio Flávio opened the scoring after 15 minutes which Djurgården had chances. The Brazilian has become a match winner since arriving on the scene during the summer and got a 2^nd goal of the game just shy of hour mark.

AIK: Daniel Örlund (g.k): Markus Jonsson, Per Karlsson, Jos Hooiveld, Nils-Eric Johansson, Martin Kayongo-Mutumba, Jorge Ortiz, Daniel Tjernström (C), Bojan Djordic, Antônio Flávio, Iván Óbolo subs: Niklas Bergh (g.k), Niklas Backman, Walid Atta, Miran Burgic, Gabriel Özkan

Djurgården: Pa Dembo Touray (g.k): Petter Gustafsson, Peter Magnusson, Toni Kuivasto, Jan Tauer, Markus Johansson (C), Dan Burlin, Christer Youssef, Mikael Dahlberg, Hrvoje Milić, Boyd Mwila
subs: Oskar Wahlström (g.k), Philip Hellquist, Prince Ikpe Ekong, Kebba Ceesay, Sebastian Rajalakso

Venue: Råsunda

Time: 19:00 CET

Halmstads 1-2 Elfsborg 28th September 2009

Elfsborg are still in the hunt for the title after this result which gives Halmstads more to chew upon. Halmstads have been in poor form recently with heavy defeats in weeks gone by. Twenty seven minutes in Elfsborg took the lead through Martin Ericsson. Halmstads leveled just before half-time through Azrach Mahamat. The Elfsborg faithful had been silenced by that goal but they found their voice two minutes from time when Denni Avdic found the net and the winner.

Halmstads: Magnus Bahne (g.k), Emil Salmonsson, Tomas Zvirgzdauskas (C), Johnny Lundberg, Michael Görlitz, Jonas Gudni Saevarsson, Tim Sparv, Anel Raskaj, Anselmo, Marcus Olsson subs: Karl-Johan Johnson (g.k), Tommy Jönsson, Emir Kujovic, Azrach Mahamat, Joe Sise

Elfsborg: Ante Covic (g.k), Johan Karlsson, Martin Andersson (C), Anders Wikström, Mathias Florén, Anders Svensson, Helgi Danielsson, Daniel Mobaeck, Martin Ericsson, Emir Bajrami, James Keene subs: Joakim Wulff (g.k), Denni Avdic, Amadou Jawo, Daniel Nordmark, Beriar Faraj

Venue: Örjans Vall

Time: 19:00 CET

GAIS 3-0 Örebro 28th September 2009

Quiet a shock result considering that GAIS are struggling for form and Örebro lying just outside the European places. Pär Ericsson gave the Göteborg-based side the lead after just ten minutes. Örebro haven't been in bad form recently but things got wrose for the visitors when Wanderson made it 2-0 on 65 minutes. The Brazilian got a 2^nd goal on 83 minutes to wrap up the fine result for the strugglers, who are now clear of Hammarby.

GAIS: Dime Jankulovski (g.k): Jonas Lundén, Calum Angus, Fredrik Lundgren (C), Richard Ekunde, Richard Spong, Johan Mårtensson, Mattias Lindström, Wanderson Do Carmo, Eyjólfur Hédinsson, Pär Ericsson subs: Magnus Jonsson (g.k), Reuben Ayarna, Tommy Lycén, Björn Andersson, Romario Perreira

Örebro: John Alvbåge (g.k): Tommy Wirtanen, Michael Almebäck, Magnus Wikström, Glenn Holgersson, Fredrik Nordback (C), Magnus Kihlberg, Nordin Gerzic, Markus Astvald, Kim Olsen, Roni Porokara subs: Peter Westman (g.k), Per Johansson, Robin Staaf, Alejandro Bedoya, Adriano Munoz

Venue: Gamla Ullevi

Time: 19:00 CET

Trelleborgs 4-2 Helsingborgs 27th September 2009

Not the result Helsingborgs were hoping for as the title begins to move out of reach. Trelleborgs continue to play well and get good results against the leading sides. It started very well for Helsingborgs. Rasmus Jösson gave them a 9^th minutes lead. Helsingborgs doubled that lead on the half-hour mark with Christoffer Andersson getting himself on the score sheet. Trelleborgs pulled one back two minutes after the break through Andreas Wihlborg. Trelleborgs have recorded some impressive results this year and had one man to thank for getting the win here. Joakim Sjöhage drew Trelleborgs level on 56 minutes before giving them the lead five minutes later.

Trelleborgs: Viktor Norling (g.k): Dennis Melander (C), Peter Abelsson, Jens Sloth, Youssef Fakhro, Joakim Nilsson, Thommie Persson, Kristian Haynes, Andreas Wihlborg, Andreas Drugge, Joakim Sjöhage subs: Fredrik Persson (g.k), Mikael Bengtsson, Marcus Pode, Fredrik Jensen, Fisnik Shala

Helsingborgs: Daniel Andersson (g.k): Erik Wahlstedt, Marcus Nilsson, Joel Ekstrand, Adama Tamboura, Christoffer Andersson, Andreas Landgren, Marcus Lantz, René Makondelé, Rasmus Jönsson, Henrik Larsson (C) subs: Hampus Nilsson (g.k), Erik Sundin, Ólafur Skúlason, Markus Holgersson, Isaac Chansa

Venue: Vångavallen

Time: 15:00 CET