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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Paul O'Hehir

Djurgardens looking to take league frustration out on Shamrock Rovers

Djurgardens want to unleash their league frustration on Shamrock Rovers and cement their Group F kingpin status.

The Hoops have been crowned League of Ireland champions with Sunday’s final game away to UCD still to come.

But Djurgardens fell short in the Swedish league and will finish second behind Hacken, going into their last game this weekend.

It has been a different story in Europe though, as the Swedes belied their fourth seed status to romp home in Group F.

They have won their four games since drawing 0-0 with Rovers in Tallaght on the opening night in September and will top the group regardless of what happens tomorrow.

But they are smarting after missing out on the league, and also want to make amends for what they feel was a poor display in Dublin.

Over 17,000 tickets have been sold to Djurgardens fans, with about 500 Shamrock Rovers supporters travelling for the Tele2 Arena clash on astroturf.

In Stockholm today, skipper Magnus Eriksson said: “It's time to show up and really show how we play and how we want to act in a game.

“Shamrock Rovers will maybe come with something different but we will focus on ourselves and the game plan that we have.

“Europe has been a great experience - as a team, as a player and as a club.

Djurgarden's Magnus Eriksson (©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo)

“In one way it was tough not to win the title in Sweden but on the other hand, if you look at the season that we’ve had so far, we’ve had a terrific season.

“The games we’ve played in Europe have helped us, especially at home. We only have positive things to say about our summer campaign in Europe and the group stages.”

With €500,000 on offer for a win, Djurgardens joint boss Thomas Lagerlöf intends to field his strongest team as he has no injury concerns.

Lagerlöf said: “That’s a lot of money for Swedish clubs as well. Of course it will be a motivation to try and win the game.

“I was pretty okay with a draw in Dublin. It was a good result because Shamrock Rovers are very good at home and it was a tough game.

“But we were not very happy with our performance.

“We started the game okay but we played too slow and we were in trouble during a period of the game, especially in the second half.

“So far, Shamrock Rovers have been a better team at home than away but we’ll see how it goes.

“We know they will be motivated to finish the group well. We will see what they bring for us.”

And asked if Djurgardens’ dominance in the group surprised him, Lagerlöf said: “We have scored a lot of goals in the European games.

“More man to man than defending in the Swedish league. The games open up a bit more.

“We’ve had some very good performances but the games suit us even better when they open up like this.”

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