Djurgarden began the Swedish Cup with a 7-1 victory over IFK Haninge at Stockholms Stadion on Thursday. Manager Jani Honkavaara rotated his starting lineup significantly compared to the recent league match against Kalmar.
FotbollDirekt reported that Lukas Jonsson was given the nod in goal. Mikael Marques and Daryl Tschoumy-Nana formed the central defensive partnership. In attack, Alexander Johansson and Alexander Andersson started, with Sander Ringberg leading the line as the number nine. New signings Angelo Agbejoye and Abdul Abdulmalik began the match on the bench.
Rotated lineup
Honkavaara chose to give playing time to several squad players who haven't been regular starters in Allsvenskan. It was a clear signal that the cup is an important competition for squad depth. Opponents Haninge featured former top-flight players like Nicklas Maripuu and Pa Dibba, but Djurgarden proved too strong.
Powerful finish
The match, which kicked off at 19:00, turned into a demonstration of Djurgarden's attacking power. The club currently sits second in Allsvenskan with 38 points from 20 games and is on a five-match winning streak. The most recent league win was a 1-0 away victory against Kalmar FF last week.
The next league challenge is an away fixture against IF Brommapojkarna on October 18th. For a detailed squad overview, visit squad.
Djurgarden's impressive autumn form has therefore carried over into the cup. The big win against Haninge sets a positive tone for the rest of the cup campaign.
Djurgarden face GAIS in the Allsvenskan on Saturday. According to official data, the match is at home at 3Arena. Djurgarden are second in the league with 38 points and have won their last five games. They beat Haninge 7-1 in the cup. Goalscorers in that match included M. Larsson, A. Johansson and A. Andersson. GAIS's latest starting XI includes M. Krasniqi and N. Vasic.
