Malmo FF (Swe) vs PAOK (Gre) prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Qualification betting tips on match 2024-08-05 17:00.
[p]A 3-2 second-leg defeat in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round didn’t hurt Malmö as they advanced after beating KĂŤ 6-4 on aggregate, moving closer to replicating their achievement during the 2021/22 campaign, when they last reached the group stage of the competition. Malmö won all of their home qualifying matches back then – something they will be on course to do again if they beat reigning Greek champions PAOK.[/p]
[p]The hosts can take heart from the fact that they are more than halfway through their league season, with title holders Malmö sitting top after 17 games (W12, D2, L3) thanks in no small part to being very strong at home, as Henrik Rydström’s men have won ten of their last 11 competitive outings at Eleda Stadion (L1). However, their form since the start of July across all venues has been inconsistent (W3, L3), with four of those six matches featuring at least five goals.[/p]
[p]PAOK kicked off their season by sealing a 4-2 aggregate win over Borac Banja Luka late last month, but otherwise it has been only friendly matches for the Greek champions so far. Four defeats in five such games wasn’t ideal, but it seems like last term’s UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-finalists have timed their return to form well. [/p]
[p]RÓ‘zvan Lucescu’s side won 1-0 at Banja Luka in the second leg, continuing their strong away form from last season as PAOK have now lost only three of their last 16 competitive road trips in normal time (W11, D2). Including both encounters from 2024/25, PAOK have now opened the scoring in six competitive matches in a row – something they will be eager to repeat here.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Midfielder Lasse Johnsen scored twice in the home leg against KÍ, with Malmö winning each of the three matches in which he has netted for them by at least three goals. Similarly, Konstantinos Koulierakis also scored two in the previous round and has helped PAOK to victory in each of his previous seven scoring appearances.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Eight of Malmö’s last ten matches have seen both teams score. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Tomáš Vlasák[/i][/p]