Swedes BK Hacken expect to beat Aberdeen in Europa Conference League qualifying, according to Goteborg-Posten’s Linus Petersson.
Petersson, who has covered the Gothenburg-based Allsvenskan outfit for several years and was speaking on our Northern Goal podcast, said Hacken think the Dons – who are still in pre-season and have only played two friendlies – represent a “good chance” to move closer to the group stage.
Up-to-speed Hacken have started to turn their Allsvenskan season around under new gaffer Per-Mathias Hogmo, and are going into the second qualifying round first leg clash at Pittodrie on the back of four straight victories.
When Hogmo arrived during their summer break, Hacken – despite what Petersson describes as a “really good” squad – were rock-bottom of the Swedish top flight.
The Reds and Hacken will meet this Thursday and next, with the second leg at the 6,500-seat Bravida Arena, for a chance to take on either Austria Wien or Icelandic team Briedablik in the third qualifying round.
What are Hacken’s Euro expectations going into Aberdeen tie?
While Hacken are a smaller team in Sweden than the likes of AIK, Malmo and city-rivals IFK, they have been able to build a strong squad thanks to the success of the Gothia Cup youth tournament, which they own. It is the biggest youth football tournament in the world.
Petersson, who admits he was backing Hacken for the Allsvenskan title this season before their calamitous start, explained they view this year’s Conference League as a great opportunity to earn the right to play European group stage football for the first time in their history.
European adventures in recent years have seen them meet very tricky opposition, including the likes of German powerhouses RB Leipzig, who knocked them out in the Europa League’s second qualifying round in 2018.
The Dons are all too familiar with qualifying exits, having gone out in the second or third qualifying rounds of the Europa League for seven straight seasons.
On the Aberdeen tie and Hacken’s assessment of it, Petersson said: “It’s a little bit open I think, but I talked to the club director yesterday and he sees it as a good chance to move on. I talked to one of the coaches as well, and he said: ‘I think we should go through this’.
“I think they see this as a good opportunity for them, but are also unsure about Aberdeen. Aberdeen have played two games behind closed doors and weren’t very happy about sharing those games in video format, so BK Hacken have had trouble scouting them and don’t know what to expect.
“But the general view is Hacken are the favourites.”
Who are the danger-men for Aberdeen in the Hacken squad?
Petersson added: “The squad is really good, and before the season I was one of the journalists who thought they were going to win the league. Maybe that says something.
“Then they collapsed completely and were bottom of the table, but the squad is the same and has got even better with Samuel Gustafson, who played in Italy for a lot of years.
“It’s one of the best squads in the league – full of young talent and a lot of offensive players with a lot of speed.
“The biggest threat is Alexander Jeremejeff, the striker who I thought would be the top scorer in the league. He’s had some troubles, but he’s a really good striker.
“Like I said, they have a lot of players with speed and talent. Patrik Walemark is one of the biggest talents, playing on one of the wings, and also Ali Youssef. Both have scored two goals each in these last few games.”
Skön avslutning på veckan 💛🖤#bkhäcken pic.twitter.com/Mavoh9TKez
— BK Häcken (@bkhackenofcl) July 18, 2021
Petersson also listed playmaker Erik Friberg, veteran Sweden international and former Premier League full-back Martin Olsson, as well as “sensational” fit-again attacking midfielder Daleho Irandust – who before injury was close to a 2 million Euro move to French side Toulouse and scored the winner against IFK Norrkoping at the weekend – among a list of “so many options” in the Hacken squad.
However, there was good news for Thursday’s first leg, as Petersson said – having watched the visitors train on Tuesday morning in Gothenburg – he does not expect new signing Gustafson or the returning Irandust to be ready to start the game in Aberdeen.
You can hear more of our Northern Goal chat on Aberdeen v Hacken at the links below:
⚽️🔴 @GoteborgsPosten journalist @Linus_Petersson talks to us from @bkhackenofcl's training ground on why the Swedes view themselves as favourites against @AberdeenFC
This week's Northern Goal podcast is out now:
Apple: https://t.co/Lf7aEKWOdy
Spotify: https://t.co/Q7ws7gAtj5 pic.twitter.com/aW8v8RM9ha— EveningExpress Sport (@ee_sport) July 20, 2021
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