Swedish season to end early to help Malmo in Champions League

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The Swedish football season will finish a day early in November to give Malmo more time to prepare for their home Champions League tie with Atletico Madrid the following week, the Swedish Football Association (SvFF) has announced.

(Reuters)

The Allsvenskan season had been due to end on Sunday Nov. 2 with the second tier Superettan finishing the previous day, but that has now been reversed, according to the SvFF website.

The switch gives Swedish champions and current league leaders Malmo an extra day to prepare for the Group A match on Nov. 4.

Malmo are the first Swedish side to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League since bitter rivals Helsingborg in 2000/01.

(Reporting By Philip O'Connor, editing by Alan Baldwin)