It is 31 years since the last cup gold for favorite tipped Malmö FF. The Skåne team has the most cup gold of all time, a total of 14 pieces. The last was secured in the final against Djurgården in 1989. But since then, MFF has lost three finals.

Now the team can break the curse.

- We hope to be able to break this suite so that it is not the same talk next year, says Malmö goalkeeper Johan Dahlin and tells that the questions about the curse have hung for a while.

Just in time for Thursday's cup final, Malmö FF's loaned goalkeeper Marko Johansson is also back from Mjällby, a contract he would have had for the rest of the year. But when asked who will represent Malmö in the cup final, coach Jon Dahl Tomasson says:

- There is no doubt about who will be tomorrow.

IFK Gothenburg and Malmö FF last met in the Swedish cup final in 1986. Then "di blåe" from Skåne won 2-1. Now the teams are up against each other again and a victory on Thursday would secure a place in the qualifiers for the Europa League group stage.

With IFK Gothenburg's already strained finances due to the prevailing pandemic, such an advancement alone would provide around SEK 30 million in revenue from Uefa. That is roughly equivalent to what the club got into ticket sales last season.

The qualifiers for the Europa League group stage are the second and third in the Allsvenskan and the winner of the Swedish Cup.

In the Allsvenskan, there is currently a big difference between the teams that are in completely different parts of the table. Malmö right now in the top battle and IFK Gothenburg in the lower half, with straight without a victory in the back before the cup final.

- If you have won, it is easier to win the matches after. It is of course an advantage but a cup match is a cup match, says Jon Dahl Tomasson who has the chance to win his first title as coach of the club.

The final of the Swedish Cup will be played on Thursday 30 July at 17.45.

ARCHIVE: See when the teams met in the cup final in 1986

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