Swedish league leaders Malmo welcome Kalmar to the SweBank Stadion on Friday evening, with both sides desperate for three points for supremely different reasons.
Malmo
Having won four of their last five matches in the Swedish top-flight, Malmo have seen their lead at the top of the table stretch to 12 points, as they hunt for a second consecutive title. Head Coach Magnus Pehrsson has led his team to 13 wins from their 18 matches to date, including an impressive away with at Djurgarden last time around.
Malmo have been defeated just once in 2017, with the reigning champions impressing in both attack and defence. Despite being the second highest scorers in the league, no one player has stood out in the final third for Malmo, with the players have shared the goals between them so far this season. The likes of Pawal Cibicki, Alexander Jeremejeff and Markus Rosenberg have been in impressive form, with the trio once again set to feature against Kalmar on Friday.
Kalmar
Having once looked odds on to be in the relegation zone come the end of the season, three straight wins over recent weeks have seen Kalmar climb up to 13th position in the standings. Kalmar have not conceded a single goal on their way to wins over IFK Gothenburg, AIK and AFC Eskilstuna, with manager Nanne Bergstrand having inspired their upturn in form since his return to the club in June of this year. Led by former Swedish international Rasmus Elm, along with Brazilian duo Romario and Ismael, Kalmar have shown that they are a match for anyone on their day. However, a trip to league leaders Malmo will certainly test them to their limits, despite their excellent form of late.
Head to Head
The two teams have met 28 times in the past, with the head to head record between the duo surprisingly close. Malmo have come out on top on 12 occasions, compared to 9 victories for Kalmar, with 7 draws making up the full record between the two. The last three meetings between Malmo and Kalmar have ended in draws in fact, with both teams claiming a win apiece back in the 2015 season.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Given the recent results between the two teams, for those betting customers looking to bet on another draw, Ladbrokes offer best odds of 17/4 on this outcome. Meanwhile, with the visitors hunting a fourth straight win in the Swedish top-flight, those looking to back another win for Kalmar can get odds of 7/1 from the same bookmakers.
Elsewhere, with Malmo having been almost unstoppable this season, backing another win for the reigning champions may well turn out to be fruitful, with SkyBet offering odds of 1/3 on. Meanwhile, with the last three meetings between the two teams having produced just four goals, betting on their being under 2.5 goals on Friday evening is worth a look, with William Hill offering odds of 11/10 for this market.
Top Betting Tip
Despite some appealing bets having already been mentioned, our top betting tip for this match is to back both teams to score, which can be found at best odds of 21/20 at Ladbrokes. Given the form of the two teams, we feel that this is a likely outcome.