Malmo take on the visitors Sparta Prague in the first leg of the final round of UEFA Champions League qualification. The match will be played on Wednesday, August 21st at Eleda Stadion (Malmö).
Last season, Malmo became the champions of Sweden, earning the right to compete in the Champions League qualifiers. Now, they are just one step away from reaching the group stage of the most prestigious club tournament. To reach this two-legged clash with the Czechs, the Swedes had to overcome the Faroe Islands' "KÍ Klaksvík" and Greece's PAOK (which required extra time). The main star of "Malmö" is left midfielder Nanasi, who has been tearing it up both in the domestic league and in the qualifiers (he's already scored three goals and provided an assist in the latter). However, the Swedish side is dealing with significant injuries, with five players confirmed to be unavailable. But to be fair, all of them have been out for some time.
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"Sparta Prague," which not long ago played in the Champions League group stage, has started this season impressively: 8 wins and 1 draw in nine matches. They've been successful both in the domestic league and in European qualifiers, having overcome the solid Irish side "Shamrock Rovers" and Romania's FCSB (more commonly known as "Steaua"). Sparta Prague also has its own star: forward Birmančević, who recorded 22 goals and 13 assists last season. He has objectively continued his form this season, scoring five goals and providing two assists in eight matches. It wouldn’t be surprising if he soon leaves the team for a bigger challenge. He’s earned it.
In my humble opinion, there is no clear favorite in this matchup. The Czech league is perhaps slightly more competitive than the Swedish one, which explains the significant difference in the transfer values of the teams (Sparta is worth nearly twice as much as Malmö). But again, this isn’t the kind of advantage that allows anyone to be favored on paper alone. Let's think about the potential for goals. Both teams have excellent attacking potential and are focused on offense, with great players who can both score and create. For the Czechs, the total has gone over 2.5 goals in 6 of their 9 matches this season, while for the Swedes, it has happened in 8 out of 10 games. Therefore, I would suggest betting on the "over" here.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.5 scored goals.
