IFK Goteborg vs AIK Solna
KO: (UK time)
I’m probably asking for trouble, betting on arguably the most intense Swedish derby tonight. Swedish football itself is not very violent, per se, but you can bet your bottom dollar that when trouble occurs, AIK Solna will be involved. The hatred between these two clubs is what made me as surprised as i was to see Icelandic striker Sigthorsson switch clubs pre-season, especially considering that he’s not actually had a good campaign for quite some years now because of injuries. I won’t deny that IFK Goteborg were short of striker options anyway but it’s still a weird transfer.
Unusually, I think we’re in for a good derby tonight though. In the past, these two teams have generally sat back, shit scared of losing, but tonight feels different. AIK Solna are more attack-minded under Grzelak, and they look more comfortable with him in charge now he’s been there for a little while. They’re not blessed with great forwards, AIK Solna, especially not with Goitom’s better days behind him. However, they’ve got a lot of experience, and a top-drawer midfield containing match-winners like Larsson and Bahoui, still with Rogic to return to it. It’s nice to see Finnish youngster Ylatupa getting the game time he deserves too; he’s been very good for two years now. They’re good from set pieces, AIK Solna, and shored up their numbers by bringing centre-back Milosevic back to Sweden after his weird stint at Vejle in Denmark. It’s a solid enough setup that AIK Solna have cobbled together; probably not dynamic enough to push for the Allsvenskan title, but hopefully enough to keep them away from the relegation battle this season. On paper, that’s not a problem, but the Allsvenskan is highly competitive and AIK Solna nearly went down last season because they underestimated such.
They’re still a bit casual at times, AIK Solna, which is why I don’t trust them as much as some people do tonight, based on the odds movement. I do recognise the heightened potential of an away win, given the absentees of their hosts, but I tend to find that IFK Goteborg have more fight than they do. AIK Solna are a bit more shrewd on the ball, and better at controlling games, but are less capable of dealing with pace and “X” factor elements, which always makes this contest tight, which is why the 1×2 market does nothing for me. Still, if AIK Solna can’t find the back of the net when both Johanssons are out, then they’re in the wrong profession!
IFK Goteborg caused a stir in Sweden pre-season, splashing the cash on good players like it was the 90’s all over again! In a few months, Marcus Berg will rejoin them after many years away, and it sounds like he won’t be their last big name recruit, if the Swedish media are to be believed, with Oscar Wendt also rumoured to be on their list. Slovakian legend Marek Hamsik has already joined, Sigthorsson signed, and now Thern has too. All of them joining Aiesh, Wernbloom, Bjarsmyr, and their highly-rated youngsters should – in theory – make IFK Goteborg more dangerous. I have my reservations about such because they’ve made a lot of changes at once, and because they’re asking top-drawer players to synchronise their minds with lesser players, which is always a gamble. Still, time will tell.
For tonight’s game, IFK Goteborg still have considerable absentees to deal with, as I intimated above. Both Johanssons are out, which leaves their defence looking suspect, as it was against Orebro – not that their hosts bagged on the night. In that game, I was pleased to see IFK Goteborg building and maintaining pressure on the opposing goal, and although they didn’t find the net on that occasion, on another day they would have from the chances they created. With Aiesh, Thern, Sana, and Norlin supporting Soder and Sigthorsson, I have to believe that IFK Goteborg can hurt their bitter rivals tonight, whether they get something from the game or not. Again, I do understand why folks are backing the visitors here but for me, there’s still not much in it.
I think there’s more scope for goals than usual tonight though, hence my interest. Both teams seem bolder, and laden with more attacking talent than before. Therefore, despite this being an early season derby, backing both teams to score at 9/10 appeals to me.
Verdict: Both teams to score at 9/10.