Will Chelsea set the course for a place in the last 16?
The Blues from London are not only in excellent form at national level. Internationally, things are also going well for Chelsea, after all, the Londoners are in one of the two starting places for the knockout phase after three match days in the group stage of the premier league. In their last group match, the Blues beat Malmö FF 4:0.
The second leg of the Champions League group stage now starts this week. Once again Chelsea will meet the Swedish representative, but this time away from home. Because Malmö have not yet picked up a single point, it is not at all surprising that Chelsea are also rated as clear favourites by the best bookmakers in Sweden.
Meanwhile, Malmo vs. Chelsea offers odds of just 1.21 on the visitors from London. The two clubs have already met three times, with Chelsea winning all three games so far. It is quite possible that the winning streak will continue in the upcoming match.
Since the defeat to Juventus, Chelsea have won their last six competitive matches across the competition, including the EFL Cup, where CFC only progressed to the next round on penalties. Malmo, on the other hand, have won just four of their last eight competitive matches.
Malmö – Statistics & current form
As expected, Malmö have largely been a points supplier in the group stage of the top flight so far. After three matchdays, the Swedish record champion has a record of 0-0-3 and a goal difference of 0:11. Because Malmö clearly lost the group match against Zenit, currently third in Group H, there are hardly any realistic chances for the Europa League.
At least in the league, the Swedish Allsvenskan, things are going well for the Himmelblauen. A few matchdays before the end of the season, Malmö FF have taken the lead in the standings and are marching towards their 25th championship in the club’s history. For the time being, however, the focus is back on the international competition before the next match against Gothenburg.
Although Malmö FF have hardly any realistic chances of making it through the group stage of the top flight, the Himmelblauen will still be at their best in the last three group games. In the fourth group game against CFC, the Swedish record champions will benefit from home advantage at the start of the second round.
Is Malmö again without a chance against Chelsea?
Home advantage against the English representatives is by no means encouraging, however. Malmö have lost seven of their last eight competitive matches against English clubs on the international stage. Most recently, there were even four defeats in a row against teams from England. It is quite possible that the negative streak will continue against the Blues.
The Himmelblauen have won only three of their last seven home games. Apart from the home defeat against Juventus, Malmö also lost against Mjallby in the Allsvenskan. In that period, head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side have only scored more than one goal in a home match twice.
It would therefore not be at all surprising if they fail to score against the defensive bulwark of their upcoming opponents. However, if you want to make a prediction for Malmö against Chelsea, you can pick up attractive odds if you are successful. Tomasson will be without four players for the home game against CFC due to injury.
Predicted line-up of Malmö:
Dahlin – Rieks, Moisander, Ahmedhodzic, Larsson – Pena, Innocent – Birmancevic, Nalic, Berget – Abubakari
Last matches played by Malmö:
Allsvenskan
10/30 2021 – Sirius 2 – 3 Malmö FF
10/27 2021 – Malmö FF 1 – 0 AIK
10/24 2021 – Varbergs BoIS FC 1 – 1 Malmö FF
Champions League Grp. H
10/20 2021 – Chelsea London 4 – 0 Malmo FF
Allsvenskan
10/16 2021 – Östersund 0 – 3 Malmö FF
Chelsea – Statistics & current form
Chelsea, meanwhile, are almost unstoppable. In the Premier League, the Blues from London still lead the table. Because their rivals from Liverpool only picked up one point on the last matchday and Manchester City also failed to score three points, Chelsea have even been able to extend their lead. The Blues are now separated by three points from second-placed Liverpool.
In the top flight, on the other hand, Chelsea, as defending champions, are already aiming for the last 16. After three match days, the Blues are in second place, three points ahead of third-placed St. Petersburg. If the Londoners can hold their own in the away game in Sweden, the course will already be set for an early entry into the knockout phase in the best possible scenario.
Chelsea’s clear role as favourites at the bottom of the table in Malmö is by no means surprising. In the first leg, CFC already dominated the match against their Swedish group rivals. In the end, it was a clear 4-0 for the Blues from London, who also extended their strong record against clubs from Sweden.
Dutiful task for the Blues
So far, Chelsea have faced Swedish clubs seven times on the international stage. The Londoners have won four and drawn three. In total, Chelsea have won three of the four against Malmö and are therefore confident going into their next meeting with the Swedish representatives.
Apart from the away defeat against Juventus, Chelsea have not lost another away game in the competition this season. In fact, since the defeat in Turin, Chelsea have won two away matches in a row, with the Blues also keeping their clean sheet on two occasions. Among them was last weekend’s match against Newcastle United.
Thomas Tuchel will only have to do without Kovacic, Lukaku and Werner for the fourth group match of the royal class due to injuries. There are no other absentees for the Londoners at the moment. Compared to the starting eleven that was last in action at Newcastle, only minimal changes are expected.
Predicted Chelsea line-up:
Mendy – Silva, Rudiger, Christensen – Chilwell, Kanté, Jorginho, James – Hudson-Odoi, Ziyech – Havertz
Last matches played by Chelsea:
Premier League
10/30 2021 – Newcastle United 0 – 3 Chelsea London
Carabao Cup
10/26 2021 – Chelsea London – (4)1 – 1(3) Southampton
Premier League
10/23 2021 – Chelsea London 7 – 0 Norwich
Champions League Grp. H
10/20 2021 – Chelsea London 4 – 0 Malmö FF
Premier League
10/16 2021 – Brentford 0 – 1 Chelsea London
Malmo – Chelsea Direct comparison / H2H record
Malmö FF and Chelsea have met three times so far. The Blues from London prevailed in all three games against the Swedish record champions so far, including the most recent home win in the first leg of the current Champions League group stage. The two clubs previously met in the knockout stages of the 2018/19 Europa League, where Chelsea progressed to the last 16 after winning both the first and second legs (aggregate score: 5-1).
Malmo – Chelsea Tip
Chelsea, meanwhile, are on course for the last 16 of the top flight. At the start of the second leg of the Champions League group stage, the Blues are already in one of the two starting places for the knockout phase. Because the lead over the third-placed St. Petersburg is only three points, everything is still possible in Group H.
Therefore, Chelsea are under pressure to win the upcoming away match in Malmö. The two clubs have already met three times on the international stage, with the Londoners always coming out on top. This was also the case in the first leg of the current CL group stage. Just a fortnight ago, Chelsea celebrated a comfortable home victory (4:0) against Malmö.
In Sweden we expect the next clear result in favour of the Blues. Malmö were hardly convincing on the international stage and also have to focus on the championship fight in the Allsvenskan. Therefore, it remains to be seen how the Swedish record champions will approach the fourth group match against CFC.
With a stake of six units, we dare to bet on Malmö vs. Chelsea at reasonable odds on “HT/FT: 2/2”.
