Next week, Swedish champions BK Häcken will host The New Saints in the first qualifying round of the Champions League.
The first leg will take place in Sweden’s second city, Gothenburg, before the sides meet again at Park Hall a week later. As preparations ramp up toward the game, we take a closer look at Häcken and what the Saints should expect from them.
History
While most clubs are set up by influential businesspeople or by a breakaway group from another club, Häcken’s origins are vastly different.
The club were started by a group of 14-15-year-olds in 1940 who wanted to create a team that could break into the Swedish football pyramid. They named the club BK Häcken, as there used to be a large hedge next to where the boys would train. Therefore, Häcken is Swedish for hedge.
In the early years, they bounced around between the second and fourth divisions, and only on one occasion came close to being promoted to the Allsvenskan (Swedish top tier) but lost in a playoff to Kalmar FF in 1953.
It wouldn’t be until 1982 that they would be promoted to the top flight, but throughout the 80s and 90s, they were a yo-yo team.
During the 00s and into the 10s, they became a very stable club in the Allsvenskan, but never got their hands on the title.
That was until this year when for the first time in their history they won the league. Not only did they win that, but they also completed the double by winning the Svenska Cupen.
Amongst their notable former players, veteran midfielder and set-piece specialist Kim Källström came through the youth system at Häcken, while former Swansea City full-back Martin Olsson also appeared for the yellow and blacks.
Embed from Getty ImagesStadium
Häcken play at the Bravida Arena. Situated in the north of the city, the Bravida Arena has a capacity of 6,500.
Manager
Norwegian Per-Mathias Høgmo is the man in charge.
Høgmo has spent most of his managerial career in Norway and has had a lot of experience in Norway’s national system, managing all age groups up to and including the men’s side.
He also had a stint managing Norway’s women’s side and won the Olympics with them in 2000. Winning the Allsvenskan was his first time winning a major club title.
Embed from Getty ImagesPlayers to Watch
Häcken possess threats in every area of the pitch. Up front they have Ola Kamara. Kamara had a number of successful season in the MLS with DC United, where at one stage, he played up front with Wayne Rooney. He is a striker who can easily score 15 goals a season, and he will be a threat over both legs.
Meanwhile, Benie Traore is attracting transfer interest from Sheffield United and Scottish Premiership giants pair Celtic and Rangers, with the former reportedly lodging a bid of £5m. Traore has got 15 goals and five assists in 20 matches in the season.
On the wing, Ghanaian Ibrahim Sadiq has had a sensational season, scoring pivotal goals in the league and in the cup.
In defence, Even Hovland is an experience centre back who was a staple in a very solid Rosenborg defence for years. He also has over 25 caps for Norway.
Current Season
The Allsvenskan is well underway and Häcken have had a solid start to the season. They currently sit in third place behind Malmö and Elfsborg after 13 games.
They have won nine, drawn one, and lost three. Those defeats have come against Djurgården, Halmstad, and Kalmar, all teams in the top half of the table.
European Pedigree
Häcken’s appearances in Europe have been sporadic, with the team never reaching the group stages of any competition.
The furthest round they’ve reached has been the third qualifying round of the Europa League. They’ve reached that stage twice but got knocked out by Nacional of Portugal and then Thun of Switzerland.
In their last three appearances in European competition, they’ve been knocked out by RB Leipzig, AZ Alkmaar, and Aberdeen.
There’s no doubting that Häcken could well be the strongest team in the first qualifying round of the Champions League, and TNS will have to be at their very best to get past them.
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