No respite for Swedish starlets

Three members of Sweden's UEFA European Under-21 Championship squad could be back in action this evening after less than a week off as Helsingborgs IF kick off their UEFA Europa League bid against FC MIKA.

U21 duty
Goalkeeper Pär Hansson, defender Joel Ekstrand and midfielder Andreas Landgren all featured in the squad as the hosts bowed out to England in the semi-finals. The club's stadium, the Olympia – venue for tonight's opening first qualifying round tie against their Armenian opponents – has also been busy, hosting four games including the U21 semi-final between Italy and eventual winners Germany only last Friday.

Legendary Larsson
However, while the stars of tomorrow have an increased profile in Sweden, it is striker Henrik Larsson who continues to command the most attention at Helsingborg. Now 37, the man capped 105 times by Sweden has been struggling with a groin injury in recent weeks, but trained on Wednesday and is eager to get involved in the new competition.

Swedish first
Fourth in the Allsvenskan last season, Helsingborg are the first Swedish side to play in the UEFA Europa League, with second-placed IF Elfsborg and third-placed IFK Göteborg entering the fray in the second and third qualifying round respectively. Third after 12 rounds of the 2009 season, their last game on Sunday saw them beat Syrianska FC 3-1 after extra time in a cup game.

Lower tempo
While Larsson was rested against Syrianska, Erik Sundin scored twice and looks set to partner the former Feyenoord, Celtic FC, FC Barcelona and Manchester United FC striker against MIKA, who Helsingborg sporting director Jesper Jansson watched in Armenia recently. "Their football is different," he said. "They aren't as organised as we are used to and the tempo is lower." Helsingborg's U21 stars may appreciate that.