Malmo FF – Royale Union SG : Preview & Prediction
Malmö continue to endure their worst domestic season since 2008/09 and their UEFA Europa League (UEL) campaign is offering no respite from coach Age Hareide’s ongoing problems in his second spell with the club. The Swedish side suffered the humiliating ignominy of being the only team in the entire group stage to be guaranteed the last place for the start of this fifth matchday after losing all four of their games so far.
The pressure seems to be taking its toll on the 69-year-old coach, who singled out FIFA for unprecedented World Cup schedule congestion and blamed it squarely for Malmo’s seven-game winless streak (E2, P5), which included back-to-back defeats to Union Berlin in this competition. “My players are so tired that they can’t even train normally anymore. They get injured during the regular warm-up,” Hareide mentioned.
The last thing he needs is to face a high-flying Royale Union who are one step away from securing top spot in the group with a day to spare thanks to their superior head-to-head record against Braga. While they have not been particularly destructive – all three of their group stage wins have been by one goal difference – their two wins in their two away appearances saw them pick up crucial points in their first UEFA group stage appearance.
They will be feeling invincible after a remarkable comeback at home against title contenders Brugge at the weekend, where they overturned a 2-0 deficit with ten men to draw 2-2 and extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to nine games (G7, E2) – a period that “comes as no surprise” to their acclaimed coach Karel Geraerts.
Players to watch: Isaac Kiese Thelin gave Malmö the lead before their collapse in a 3-2 defeat in the previous meeting between the two clubs, and is their only player to have scored twice in every game since that encounter. Union striker Victor Boniface should be back to his best after finding the back of the net in back-to-back matches in both September and October, including the winning goal against Malmö.
Key stat: Malmö’s last six defeats in all competitions have been by a margin of just one goal.
Malmo FF – Royale Union SG : Betting Tips
Royale Union SG – Win Odds: 2.25
