Slavia Prague vs Malmo FF prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – League phase betting tips on match 2025-01-29 20:00.
[p]Neither Slavia Prague nor Malmö FF can qualify for the next stages of this seasonâs UEFA Europa League (UEL), with both sides five points adrift of the knockout play-off places heading into the final matchday of the league phase. After entering Europeâs second-tier competition courtesy of their elimination from UEFA Champions League qualifying last summer, Slaviaâs campaign at the level below began promisingly, with four points collected against Ludogorets Razgrad (2-0) and Ajax (1-1). [/p]
[p]Since then, the Czech outfit have lost five straight UEL games – their worst-ever run in the main draw of a European competition. That horrible sequence of results, coupled with the fact that Slavia havenât returned from their domestic winter break, means that they havenât won a match since early December. In terms of positives, the Red and Whites do have an all-time unbeaten record against Swedish clubs (W2, D2) and are currently seven points clear at the summit of the Czech top-flight as they look to win their domestic league for the first time in four years. [/p]
[p]Malmö have also been short of match practice recently as their domestic schedule largely operates on a calendar-year basis, with their last three competitive games against top-tier opponents coming in the UEL. Unfortunately for Henrik Rydströmâs men they werenât able to win any of them (D1, L2), with their main weakness being in defence as they conceded nine goals across those encounters. [/p]
[p]Like their upcoming hosts, Malmö can at least console themselves with domestic success, as they defended their Swedish league title in 2024 and are now aiming for a âthree-peatâ, with the new campaign starting in March. Before then however, the Sky Blue will be looking to improve their poor record against Czech sides (W1, L5), with the latest two defeats coming in August against Slaviaâs arch-rivals Sparta Prague. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: TomĂĄĆĄ ChorĂœ delivered Slaviaâs most recent goal in a competitive fixture, although the 30-year-old has only emerged victorious from three of his last six scoring appearances at club level (D1, L2). Facing him could be Lasse Berg Johnsen, and if he finds the net, Malmö may feel confident that they will score at least twice, as that is what happened on the last five such occasions (W4, L1). [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Malmö did not return a clean sheet in any of their last 12 competitive matches (W4, D4, L4). [/p]
[p][i]Written by Alex Bowmer[/i][/p]