Tränaren säger att varken hemmalaget eller bortalaget spelar bra.

It means neither ... nor.

So:

• varken hemmalaget eller bortalaget spelar bra = neither the home team nor the away team plays well

It is a paired expression:

• varken = neither
• eller = nor

You use it to connect two alternatives that are both negated.

Because varken ... eller already makes the sentence negative.

So Swedish does not normally say:

• varken ... eller inte ...

That would be unnecessary or wrong in this structure.

Compare:

• Hemmalaget spelar inte bra = The home team does not play well.
• Varken hemmalaget eller bortalaget spelar bra = Neither the home team nor the away team plays well.

att introduces a subordinate clause, like English that in:

• The coach says that ...

So:

• Tränaren säger att ... = The coach says that ...

In English, that is often optional. In Swedish, att is very common and usually best to include, especially for learners.

Because after att, Swedish uses subordinate clause word order.

In a normal main clause, Swedish often follows the verb-second rule. But after a subordinating word like att, the subject normally comes before the finite verb.

So here the pattern is:

• att
  • subject + verb

That gives:

• att varken hemmalaget eller bortalaget spelar bra

Not:

• att spelar ...

Because Swedish forms compounds as single words much more often than English does.

So:

• hemmalag = home team
• bortalag = away team

Then the definite form is added at the end:

• hemmalaget = the home team
• bortalaget = the away team

English often writes these as two words, but Swedish usually combines them.

They are the Swedish definite endings, equivalent to English the.

Examples:

• en tränare = a coach

• tränaren = the coach

• ett lag = a team
• laget = the team

Since hemmalaget and bortalaget are based on lag, they take -et in the definite singular.

So Swedish often puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.

Because Swedish verbs do not change form for person or number in the present tense.

So Swedish says:

• jag spelar = I play
• du spelar = you play
• laget spelar = the team plays
• lagen spelar = the teams play

The form stays spelar.

So even though two teams are mentioned, the verb does not need a different ending.

Yes, in meaning it works like English well, but Swedish uses bra here.

That is very normal. Swedish often uses the same form where English would distinguish between an adjective and an adverb.

So:

• en bra spelare = a good player
• spela bra = play well

In this sentence, bra describes how they play, so in English we usually translate it as well.

Yes, eller normally means or, but in the expression varken ... eller, the whole phrase means neither ... nor.

So you should understand it as one combined structure, not as separate words with the usual English meanings added mechanically.

Compare:

• hemmalaget eller bortalaget = the home team or the away team
• varken hemmalaget eller bortalaget = neither the home team nor the away team

Sometimes in informal spoken Swedish, att can be omitted after verbs like säger or tror. But for learners, it is safer and more standard to keep it.

So this sentence is perfectly natural:

• Tränaren säger att varken hemmalaget eller bortalaget spelar bra.

If you are still getting comfortable with Swedish clause structure, keeping att is a good habit.

It can cover both, depending on context.

Swedish present tense often corresponds to both:

• English play
• English are playing

So this sentence could mean either:

• Neither team plays well or
• Neither team is playing well

The wider context tells you which is meant. Swedish does not need a special progressive form as often as English does.