Halmstads BK take a break from league action for a friendly against Östers IF on Saturday. The match is part of preparations for the tough run-in to the Allsvenskan season, where Halmstad currently sit 16th.
The team's last match was a 2-1 home win against AIK Stockholm on September 20. That victory was the second in a row in a recent form line reading WWLLW over the last five games. The manager has a chance to test different combinations and give minutes to players needing match sharpness.
Östers IF arrive off the back of a 1-3 loss to IFK Norrköping last weekend. Their last five matches show a more inconsistent form with results reading L, W, L, W, L. It will be an interesting contrast to Halmstads BK's more stable recent performances.
The most recent starting XI against AIK, featuring players like T. Rönning in goal and the strike pairing of A. Zeljkovic and O. Faraj, may give a hint at who gets a chance. Östers IF deployed a 4-3-3 formation in their last match, with C. Lundahl Persson in goal.
This friendly is a key part of preparations for the next tough league assignment away to IF Elfsborg on October 11. After the Östers IF match, a week of focused training awaits before the trip to Borås.
