7M - Allsvenskan Preview: Kalmar FF vs Malmo FF: Visitors backed to extend winning run despite tricky away test

Malmo have won their last three league games
Kalmar have lost three of their last five league games
Erik Botheim has scored nine goals in his last eight appearances for Malmo

Malmo on the move

Malmo are heading in the right direction once again and can make it four Allsvenskan victories in a row when they travel to Kalmar on Monday. Their 4-0 weekend win over IFK Gothenburg was somewhat overshadowed by the absence of World Cup winger Taha Ali, who appears to be closing in on a move abroad.

His replacement, Oscar Sjostrand, caught the eye before suffering a worrying knee injury, which opened the door for 19-year-old Anton Hoog to seize his opportunity. The teenager scored his first Allsvenskan goal within minutes of coming on, while Erik Botheim continued his red-hot form with a brace.

Malmo are now firmly in contention for a European place after collecting 19 points from 12 matches, and their attack is finally clicking into gear after a sluggish start to the spring.

Hosts can be trouble at home

Kalmar, despite sitting in the bottom half of the table, are no pushovers on their own turf—having won four straight home games. Three of those victories have come against sides below them in the standings, however.

Malmo have failed to win on their last two visits to Kalmar, and the hosts' compact 4-4-2 shape could cause them problems early on. But with Botheim firing, Hoog emerging and Malmo's confidence on the rise, the visitors may well have just enough quality to edge a tightly contested affair.