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Goteborg Malmo's only rival for the champion title

This a very important match for the away team since they are a point behind the leader of the championship Malmo, but the home team is ambitious as well because they have a chance to qualify for Europe

Kalmar was impressive lately, especially in the defense aspect of the game. In the last round they beat Osters with a 2-1 final score and that was the only conceded goal for them in their last five appearances. Today's match will be very important for Kalmar and could even determine their overall success this season. 

Kalmar has just five points less than Helsingborgs at the moment and their chances to reach the Europa League don't look as bad as they used to. They will need to have a series of good results till the end though, so they are expected to be motivated today. 

When the absences are concerned, the situation in the home team is more or less the same, considering that the defensive players Arajuuri and Ohman are missing, as well as the offensive player Soderqvist who is currently the best club scorer. The fact that he is not playing is a big handicap for the home team since they have modest offense performances this season. 

Goteborg is motivated for this match as well because they are the only team left to chase Malmou in the championship title race. In the last round they beat Gefle by a 3-1 final score and didn't face any real problems, and a few days ago they put AIK out of the race for the top of the table with the same score. At the moment, they seem to be the team in best shape. 

During the most part of the season they depended on steady defense but they obviously decided to take more risks and go forward and this has definitely paid off. Lately they didn't have matches with less than two goals scored no matter who they played and how tough the match was.

- The atmosphere in the team is very good but we have to show respect for this weekend's opponent. With David Elmo Kalmar got a new dimension in their game and they seem to be more offense oriented, so it is important that we maintain our level of play in defense and offense - said assistant coach Magnus Edlund. 

The away team cannot count on defense player Waehler who is suspended and the midfielder Sobralense is still out due to injury but could be ready for the next round since he is close to recovery. 

Although Kalmar are playing a solid game recently, I am not convinced that they will be able to parry their guest neither in quality not in motivation. The Kalmar defense, as mentioned in the preview, looks very stable at the moment, but that has a lot to do with the schedule they've been having. They played rather more defensive teams in their last five games, such as Gefle, AIK, Halmstads, and it's no wonder they managed to keep their net intact. That will definitely be much more difficult against a team such as Goteborg, which they've already proven earlier against Malmo, who loaded them up with four goals. Goteborg are in dire need of points at the moment, and cannot afford a fumble here. They are one of the teams with the best form in the championship at the moment, I'd even dare say the most impressive, looking at their results. Against the opponents Kalmar got one point from, playing no-goal ties (Gefle, AIK, Atvidabergs), Goteborg scored high wins and it is hard to say which part of their game is more impressive - the killer offense or the tough, impenetrable defense. Aside from that, the home team will again be missing their best midfielder and offense player Soderqvist, which makes it difficult for them to strike back. Anything other than Goteborg winning this, as currently the better and more motivated team, would be a surprise.