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Big city clubs clash in championship climax

Peter Vinthagen Simpson
Peter Vinthagen Simpson - [email protected]
Big city clubs clash in championship climax

IFK Gothenburg welcome Stockholm team AIK to Gamla Ullevi stadium on Sunday in a title decider as the Swedish Allsvenskan championship goes down to the wire.

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The "blue and whites" have, together with the police, had to find an extra 2 million kronor ($286,000) to cope with security at the match which has been classed as a high risk event, especially in view of the high stakes on offer.

Solna-based AIK, who last won the top prize in Swedish football in 1998 under the guidance of British coach Stuart Baxter, hold the upper hand sitting atop the Allsvenskan table with 58 points, one ahead of IFK.

This means that a draw will be sufficient for AIK to claim the "gold" and take home the championship, while IFK will need to take the game to the team with the tightest defence in the league with only 19 goals conceded all season.

IFK are however among the top scorers with only last year's surprise champions Kalmar scoring more than their 52 goals.

Swedish international and IFK striker Tobias Hysén, the son of former Liverpool back Glenn Hysén, will be hoping to receive the service from his teammates that will enable him to get among the goals.

The game will also feature IFK's controversial goalkeeper, Kim Christensen. The Dane gained a modicum of notoriety earlier in the season when he admitted to moving the goalposts before a match in order to narrow the goal.

Argentinian Ivan Obolo, hotly tipped to gain a move to one of Europe's major leagues after Sunday's decider, has been identified as the main threat faced by the Gothenburg back line.

As a result of the security concerns two sections of the Gamla Ullevi stadium will be left empty thereby reducing the 19,000 capacity to 17,206 - tickets that have long since sold out.

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