The harsh Swedish winter has finally melted away, paving the way for the commencement of the 101st season of Allsvenskan this weekend.
The onset of the league’s second century is anticipated to herald a new chapter, yet one question lingers on everyone’s mind ahead of the opening match – who will be able to thwart the reigning and record champions Malmo from securing yet another title?
The spotlight will fall on Himmelsblatt for the league’s opening match, a thrilling encounter as they travel to face Djurgarden at 15:00 local time on Saturday, marking the beginning of 30 rounds of competition that will wrap up when the long nights return in late October.
Will Malmo Lose Their Crown?
It’s said that good things come in threes, but Malmo supporters may not agree. The record holders, having pocketed the title 27 times, have clinched eight out of the last twelve Allsvenskan championships, with recent triumphs in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
In the latter, they seized the lead after the first matchday and maintained it, finishing 11 points clear of the competition, a far smoother journey compared to their 2023 victory, which relied on goal difference and was clinched on the last day.
If their performance in the Svenska Cupen is an indicator, their quest for a third consecutive title, which has not been achieved since the late 1980s, is off to a promising start.
Following a comfortable run through the Group Stage against lower league teams, they eliminated Elfsborg in the Quarter-Finals and IFK Goteborg in the Semi-Finals to reach May’s Final, despite needing extra time in both knockout matches.
Their exit during the League Phase of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) could be viewed as a blessing in disguise for Henrik Rydstrom’s men, allowing them to embrace a winter break and have a solid pre-season.
In the off-season, they bolstered their squad by signing left-wingers Emmanuel Ekong from Empoli for €1 million and Arnor Sigurdsson on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers, as they seek to replace the creative spark of Sebastian Nanasi, who, despite departing for Strasbourg in August, was the league’s top assist provider in 2024.
One of the most significant moves was retaining last season’s top scorer, Isaac Kiese Thelin, who has already netted three times in the Cupen knockout stage.
If he can carry that form into the league and receive the support he needs, while Malmo overcomes the psychological barrier of chasing a third title in a row, then the Sky Blues will be the team to beat once again.
Title Contenders
The standout team from last season was Hammarby, who significantly improved from their seventh-place finish in 2023 to claim the runners-up position.
The Bajen have oscillated between European contention and mid-table obscurity in recent years, and that trend is likely to continue after losing breakout star Bazoumana Toure to Hoffenheim for €10 million.
Part-owned by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the club has spent €1.2 million of that transfer fee to acquire Tunisia international Sebastian Tounekti as a replacement for the Ivorian, but with minimal additions and European commitments in the summer, a title challenge could prove elusive.
Hammarby edged out fellow Stockholm rivals AIK on goal difference last season, and the Gnaget have been proactive during the winter in their efforts to better their standing this year.
With 2024’s top scorer Ioannis Pittas among ten departures, AIK have also welcomed nine new players, including Croatian international centre-back Filip Benkovic and Norwegian midfielder Johan Hove.
While the core of Mikkjal Thomassen’s squad has seen improvement, questions linger over where the goals will originate.
The Djurgarden team should enter the season overflowing with confidence, having recently made history as the first Swedish club to reach the Quarter-Finals of a European competition in 30 years.
Given their late-season push into December, staying fully focused on the UEFA Europa Conference League until at least mid-April might mean that The Iron Stoves could start the Allsvenskan season slowly and may struggle to finish strongly in the autumn.
This could hinder their ambitions of matching last season’s fourth-place finish, let alone mounting a title challenge.
However, their transfer activity has been notable, splashing out €1.4 million on striker Zakaria Sawo from Aris Limassol, the winter’s biggest signing, alongside highly-rated 17-year-old Matias Siltanen from Finnish side KuPS for €1.2 million.
Another team that impressed in European competition last autumn was Elfsborg, who garnered 10 points in the UEL League Phase despite finishing only seventh in the Allsvenskan.
With confidence from that campaign and no continental distractions in the spring, they should aim for a stronger start this time, hoping to challenge Malmo, who denied them the title on the final day of the 2023 season.
Though key players from their UEL run, Michael Baidoo and Timothy Ouma, have departed, the arrival of Simon Olsson should provide much-needed stability in midfield.
Recovering and Battling Second Season Syndrome
The three clubs from Gothenburg may be harbouring ambitions of European football by 2026, but the immediate goal for this season is either to return to or maintain a position in the top half of the table.
Last year, GAIS emerged as the surprise package, finishing sixth in their first season back in the Allsvenskan since 2012. However, a lack of new additions to Fredrik Holmberg’s squad suggests that they may be vulnerable to the dreaded second season syndrome.
BK Hacken, known for their Cupen expertise, reached their fifth final in a decade earlier this month. The path to the final may not have been particularly challenging, but it should provide a confidence boost heading into the league season.
Since their 2022 title win, the club has experienced a downward trajectory, finishing eighth last year. The recent arrivals of defenders Leo Vaisanen and Brice Wembangomo should help fortify a defence that had been leaking goals compared to those of their rivals in the top half last season.
Nine years after their last top-four finish, Goteborg will be striving to prove they are still one of Sweden’s elite, not only within their city but across the country. Yet they will need to better their two consecutive 13th place finishes, where they narrowly escaped relegation on goal difference.
While their recruitment strategy has been minimal, their historical status allows them to sign players like Imam Jagne, who was instrumental for Mjallby last season.
The same Mjallby team finished fifth last season, their highest standing since 2020, but they have since sold Rasmus Wikstrom to a direct competitor in Elfsborg. Though they’ve recruited from various parts of Scandinavia, many of their new signings lack experience in the Swedish top flight.
Last season, Brommapojkarna found themselves closer to the relegation zone than the top half, but their growing reputation as a talent developer remains intact.
Importantly, BP retained the services of the 2024 Allsvenskan top scorer, Nikola Vasic. Another season like his 17-goal haul would be a boon, but it’s only a matter of time before another emerging talent follows in the footsteps of academy products like Viktor Gyokeres, Dejan Kulusevski, and Lucas Bergvall.
Despite being based in Uppsala, just north of Stockholm, Sirius is the northernmost team in the league.
While they may be geographically higher than their opponents, it seems another season of mid-table obscurity awaits the Blasvart, who lost their leading scorer Yousef Salach but added Robbie Ure, a Scottish academy product from Anderlecht.
The Fight for Survival
Degerfors’ three-year stay in the top division ended in 2023, but they made a triumphant return by winning the Superettan at the first attempt.
The 2024 season marks the debut in charge of a second-tier team for 32-year-old head coach William Lundin, who has previously worked in lower leagues before moving to Goteborg as an assistant and then caretaker.
He’ll need to significantly improve on his Allsvenskan record of just one victory in 11 attempts during his stint as caretaker, with that sole win coming in a 6-0 drubbing of Degerfors.
Returning after 11 years from oblivion is Öster, one of the former powerhouses of Swedish football that has won the Allsvenskan four times.
They have not invested any money in new signings, relying solely on free transfers, including players like Daniel Ask from Aalborg and Matias Tamminen from Inter Turku. Their survival may hinge on astute decisions in the transfer market.
Varnamo experienced a steep decline last season, barely surviving the relegation play-off after finishing fifth in 2023. They will now be under scrutiny from the newly-promoted teams.
Varnamo scored fewer goals last season than only the last-placed Vasteras, and their lack of new attacking talent this winter raises serious concerns.
Conversely, a porous defence was the main reason Norrkoping only narrowly escaped the relegation play-off, yet they too have neglected to address this critical issue in the transfer market.
The major alteration is in management, as Martin Falk takes the reins this season. He’ll have to instil a sense of solidity at the back if the Comrades intend to have a less stressful campaign in 2025.
Halmstads has managed to finish 12th for the past two seasons since their promotion to the Allsvenskan, and it appears they may be heading for a repeat of this performance in a club that once tasted glory under Roy Hodgson in the 1970s.
In terms of management, they have appointed Johan Lindholm as the new permanent head coach after his interim spell was less than inspiring; thus, he must prove that 12th place is not Halmstads’ ceiling.
Round One
Don’t forget, the 2025 Allsvenskan season starts tomorrow (Saturday 29th). Here are all the fixtures for the opening round:
Saturday: Djurgarden vs Malmo, Hacken vs Brommapojkarna
Sunday: Elfsborg vs Mjallby, Hammarby vs Goteborg, Halmstad vs Degerfors, Norrkoping vs Oster
Monday: Varnamo vs Sirius, GAIS vs AIK
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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