Djurgården Stockholm and Adler Mannheim finish their Group Stage run in Mannheim and if last week’s match is anything to go by, this won’t just be a mid-week trip to Germany for Djurgården. They are on the road to win. With 12 points they sit top of Group F and have truly lived up to their pre-season claims of wanting to re-establish themselves as a top European club. But Mannheim have also been a top side, as they have won all but one of their games so far and are just a single point behind Djurgården in the Group Standings.

Mannheim have been especially deadly at home – they haven’t conceded a single goal and have scored 9 goals in two games against the Vienna Capitals and GKS Tychy. Their CHL performances have helped them start the new season of the DEL in similar fashion, as ten rounds in they are amongst the top five teams of the league. But last week’s lose to Djurgården, their first of the season, was a bitter one and they will be out on a revenge mission to repay Djurgården the favour and return to back to the top.

This battle between Djurgården and Mannheim for top spot isn’t just a case of both teams wanting to be the best – that’s a given. It can carry real significance in the Playoffs draw, as the teams that finished first in their groups are matched with teams that finished second in the other groups, giving the higher placed teams a theoretical advantage.