Elfsborg will be looking to maintain their lead at the summit of the Swedish Allsvenskan table when they welcome struggling Sirius to the Boras Arena on Sunday.

The league leaders saw their 15-game unbeaten run ended by title rivals Hacken last time out, while the visitors suffered a fourth defeat in five matches.

Match preview

After losing to Hacken on the opening weekend of the season, Elfsborg went 15 league games without defeat between April and July, picking up 12 wins and three draws while establishing themselves as genuine title contenders.

However, Hacken returned to burst Elfsborg's bubble last weekend, as the Yellow Ones suffered a 3-1 defeat against their title rivals, who now sit just one point behind Jimmy Thelin's side in the standings.

Jeppe Okkels gave Elfsborg the lead midway through the first half before Tobias Sana equalised three minutes later, but when Hacken were reduced to 10 men on the stroke of half time, it looked as though Elfsborg would go on to claim all three points.

Despite finishing the match with 60% possession and 28 shots to their name, Thelin's men failed to make the most of their dominance, conceding two second-half goals to suffer a first defeat since April.

Still, the Yellow Ones remain one point clear of Hacken with a game in hand over their title rivals, and Sunday's clash with lowly Sirius provides them with the ideal opportunity to return to winning ways.

Indeed, Sirius head to the Boras Arena on a run of four defeats in five league outings, meaning that Christer Mattiasson's side find themselves one place outside the relegation playoff spot on goal difference.

Following back-to-back losses against Malmo and Hammarby, the Uppsala outfit claimed a much-needed victory over relegation rivals Degerfors, but they swiftly returned to losing ways with defeats to Mjallby AIF and AIK Fotboll.

Sirius failed to win any of their opening nine Allsvenskan matches this term, taking just five points from a possible 27, and they currently have 17 points from 17 games following a string of negative results.

Although the Uppsala club have enjoyed a degree of success on the road this year – suffering two defeats in eight away league games while winning two of their previous three – Mattiasson will be desperate to establish some consistency.

Team News

Elfsborg are still without long-term injury absentee Viktor Widell as the 21-year-old right-back continues to recover from a ruptured cruciate ligament.

Jeppe Okkels has chalked up eight goals and four assists in 17 Allsvenskan outings this season, while Jacob Ondrejka has bagged seven goals and five assists in only 12 league appearances.

Jimmy Thelin will likely deploy his favoured 4-3-3 formation on Sunday, with Gustaf Lagerbielke and Sebastian Holmen expected to resume their partnership at centre-back.

On the flip side, Tashreeq Matthews has been a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy campaign for Sirius, notching five goals and four assists in the past 12 Allsvenskan matches.

Matthews will line up alongside Joakim Persson and Melker Heier in a 4-2-3-1 formation this weekend, offering attacking support to lone striker Wessam Abou Ali.

Elfsborg possible starting lineup:
Valdimarsson; Larsson, Holmen, Lagerbielke, Hult; Romer, Baidoo, Boateng, Berhardsson, Frick, Okkels

Sirius possible starting lineup:
Tannander; Persson, Castegren, Jeng, Widgren; Wikman, De Kamps; Persson, Matthews, Heier; Abou Ali

We say: Elfsborg 3-0 Sirius

We expect the league leaders to bounce straight back from last weekend's defeat by making light work of struggling Sirius, who are on course to suffer a fifth loss in six Allsvenskan outings.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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