Both desperate for points in order to secure a spot in the knockout stages of the competition, Malmo and FC Twente will clash at Eleda Stadion on Thursday night in the Europa League.
Di Blae are back in competitive action following a month-long hiatus, whilst the Tukkers are taking a continental break from the stresses of the Dutch domestic scene.
Match preview
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Winning the Swedish Allsvenskan title during four of the last five campaigns, it is fair to say that Malmo are the dominant force on their domestic stage, but Thursday's hosts at Eleda Stadion have seriously struggled to make inroads in the Europa League during 2024-25.
With the Swedish league system operating on a year-by-year basis, Di Blae have enjoyed over a month to recover from their most recent competitive fixture on December 12, when the Scandinavian champions secured a respectable share of the points with Turkish side Galatasaray.
Opening the scoring in that particular contest at Eleda Stadion, Erik Botheim continues to lead the attacking antics for Malmo in the league phase this season, with the 25-year-old Norwegian also finding the net during the 4-1 defeat at the home of Ferencvaros on November 28.
With their only Europa League success of the campaign to date arriving at Qarabag FK in early October, Di Blae face an uphill battle as they aim to qualify for the playoff round over the next week, with the Swedish side currently 31st in the league phase standings, three points back from Elfsborg in 24th.
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Since returning from their respective winter break, FC Twente have endured a mixed run of results on the domestic stage, a period which commenced with the 6-2 smashing of Willem II on home soil, however things failed to stay positive for too much longer for the Dutch outfit.
The Tukkers were unceremoniously dumped out of the KNVB Cup at an early stage by divisional rivals Go Ahead Eagles on January 15, before Thursday's visitors to Sweden narrowly lost in the Eredivisie at NAC Breda, who finished a lowly eighth in the Eerste Divisie last term.
Owing to their positive upturn in fortunes over the past few years, Twente are looking to avoid three straight defeats across all competitions for the first time since May 2021, when they endured a four-game losing run at the conclusion of a difficult 2020-21 campaign.
Leading the Eredivisie's Golden Boot race despite plying his trade in the middle of the park, 15-strike sensation Sem Steijn is undoubtedly the main man for the Tukkers, although the 23-year-old is yet to find the net across 373 minutes of Europa League action this term.
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Team News
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Malmo remain without the services of Pontus Jansson, who has not featured for the Swedish champions since the middle of November due to a serious knee injury.
Di Blae are also battling on without the talents of Johan Dahlin, with the goalkeeper now sidelined until the end of the campaign because of a cruciate ligament issue.
The hosts are short of options on the flanks due to the absences of Sead Haksabanovic and Stefano Holmquist, who are suffering from groin and back problems respectively.
A goalscorer at Old Trafford versus Manchester United earlier in the League Phase, Sam Lammers remains on the sidelines for Twente, with the former Rangers man expected back in early February.
The Tukkers' choices in attacking positions are further reduced by the absence of Younes Taha, who suffered a nasty broken leg in September.
Malmo possible starting lineup:
Persson; Larsen, Rosler, Zatterstrom, Busanello; Rosengren, Johnsen, Rieks, Christiansen, Bolin; Botheim
FC Twente possible starting lineup:
Unnerstall; Van Rooij, Hilgers, Van Hoorenbeeck, Salah-Eddine; Regeer, Sadilek, Rots, Steijn, Vlap; Van Wolfswinkel
We say: Malmo 2-2 FC Twente
Both needing a win to boost their chances of making the knockout stages, we could see attacking approaches from Malmo and Twente on Thursday night.
Di Blae might be a little rusty after over a month without the competitive action, although we still feel that the Tukkers will be forced to share the points at Eleda Stadion.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
