The new league game in European football – where each team meets eight or six different opponents – is soon halfway. In the Champions League and Europa League, all teams have played three matches out of eight. In the Conference League, the teams have played two rounds out of a total of six.
It's fun. You get to meet more teams. I see it as a challenge, I haven't played any other group play before. It's the first time for me and this is what's normal for me, says MFF star Hugo Bolin.
Can climb quickly
The two Swedish entries in the Europa League – Malmö and Elfsborg – are both on three points. Thanks to a better goal difference, the Borås club is currently 22nd out of a total of 36 teams. MFF is 25th – just outside the top 24 that reaches the playoffs.
We must start taking more points. We will try to win every match and take it match by match, says Bolin after Thursday's 0–1 loss to Olympiakos.
Lazio, Tottenham, and Anderlecht are the only teams that have taken full points in the Europa League. Behind them are six teams on seven points.
If you win a match, you take big steps. We have five left now and you go in with the same attitude to every match regardless of the opponent. Every match has its own life, says Taha Ali.
With three points halfway through the old system with a group stage, both MFF and Elfsborg would have had continued good chances to challenge for a playoff spot. Then, six matches were played, but home and away against the same team.
Meets Besiktas away
Now it's instead new teams in each round. After Glasgow Rangers, Karabach, and Olympiakos, Turkish Besiktas in Istanbul await Malmö.
It's going to be fun to play away in Turkey. I've heard it's a big and cool arena, says Hugo Bolin.
Djurgården started their play in the Conference League with a 2–2 draw away against Austrian Lask Linz, but fell on Thursday with 1–2 at home against Portuguese Vitória Guimarães.
A point yield and goal difference that puts the Stockholm team currently 24th in the table with four matches left to play.
In the Champions League, only Aston Villa and Liverpool have taken full points after three rounds.
The men's three club tournaments in football are now decided in a group stage with a total of 36 teams in each tournament.
In the Champions League and Europa League, each participating team meets eight different teams. In the Conference League, the teams meet six different opponents.
After the matches in the group stage, the top eight teams advance directly to the round of 16. Teams 9–24 meet in a playoff over two legs (home, away) to reach the round of 16. For teams that finish 25–36, it's over.
The knockout matches until and including the semifinals are decided over two legs – the finals are decided over one match.
Results and upcoming matches for the Swedish men's teams in European play:
Europa League
Malmö FF: Rangers (home) 0–2, Karabach (away) 2–1, Olympiakos (h) 0–1, 6/11 Besiktas (a), 28/11 Ferencvaros (a), 12/12 Galatasaray (h), 23/1 Twente (h), 30/1 Slavia Prag (a).
Elfsborg: AZ Alkmar (a) 2–3, Roma (h) 1–0, Galatasaray (a) 3–4, 7/11 Braga (h), 28/11 Athletic Bilbao (a), 12/12 Karabach (h),
23/1 Nice (h), 30/1 Tottenham (a).
Conference League
Djurgården: Lask Linz (a) 2–2, Vitória Guimarães (h) 1–2, 7/11 Panathinaikos (h), 28/11 The New Saints (a), 12/12 Víkingur (a), 19/12 Legia Warszawa (h).
