The 19th round of matches in the 2017 Allsvenskan are completed on Monday night as BK Hacken welcome GIF Sundsvall to the Bravida Arena in Goteborg. Things have been going well for Hacken of late and they come into the weekend fixtures sitting sixth in the league table. With 3 points separating them and third place AIK, there is every chance Hacken could find themselves closing in on a Europa League place this season, if they can continue to pick up points.
The same cannot be said for Sundsvall who are currently occupying the relegation playoff position in the Allsvenskan. Only Halmstad and Eskilstuna are below them in the league table and while the latter are well adrift, Halmstad are just 3 points behind so Sundsvall need every point they can get to avoid being sucked into the relegation zone.
Hacken Form
Hacken come into this game on a 4-match unbeaten run having defeated Jonkopings Sodra and Hammarby and picked up a point against Sirius and Orebro.
The pick of those results are the win at Hammarby last weekend and the point at second place Sirius.
However, despite moving up the table in recent weeks, home form has not been very good. Hacken have won just 1 of their last 5 home games which was back at the beginning of July against Hammarby.
There have been 3 defeats and 1 draw, the latter of which came in their most recent home fixture against Orebro, a game which finished 1-1. Hacken have kept a clean sheet once in their last 7 home games.
Sundsvall Form
Sundsvall have just 1 win in their last 6 Allsvenskan games and have just 3 wins from their last 11 in the league.
Their most recent win came on the 15th July at home to Halmstad and since then there have been 2 draws and 1 defeat.
Away from home in the Allsvenskan, Sundsvall have lost 3 and drawn 1 of their last 4 matches, picking up just 1 victory on the road all season. The win came at eleventh place Orebro back in the middle of May.
Sundsvall overall away form is terrible and the win over Orebro is their only victory from their previous 16 away league games.
Team News
Hacken have concerns over entre-back Jasmin Sudic and forward Alhassan Kamara, who are both expected to miss the match due to injury. Otherwise Mikael Stahre should have a fully fit squad. Sundsvall must continue without defensive midfielder Erik Granat and centre-back Filip Tagtstrom who are both some way off making a comeback to the first team.
Top Betting Tips
Hacken are at very short odds to win this game with the bookmakers, priced at 4/9 with Ladbrokes but they have won only 1 of their last 5 home games. Sundsvall may not win many on the road but have avoided defeat in 5 of their last 8. A Sundsvall +1 Asian handicap looks better value at 1.80 with Ladbrokes.
Hacken have conceded at least 1 goal in 6 of their last 7 home games. Sundsvall have scored in 4 of their last 5 games and the draw with both teams scoring is on offer at 19/5 with William Hill.
These teams have two of the best defensive records in the league and therefore a high scoring match seems unlikely. The 1-1 draw is available at 8/1 with William Hill.