Malmo vs Rangers prediction 26.09.2024 | Europa League

• Competition: Europa League
• Date: Thursday, 26th September, 2024
• Kickoff: 17:45 UK / 18:45 CEST
• Venue: Eleda Stadion (Malm?)

On Thursday evening, Swedish champs Malmo will welcome one of the two greatest Scottish teams, Rangers, in the Europa League. The game will take place at Eleda Stadion in Malm?.

Malmo have been the best team in Sweden in recent years, winning the title in three of the last four seasons. Due to a football calendar different from most European countries, Malmoe has already played 24 rounds in Allsvenskan. And they have been awesome as they hold the top spot with an 11-point advantage over the second-placed Djurgarden. Their European journey started from the Champions League, where they had their ups and downs, but eventually reached the Playoff Round, where Sparta Prague easily eliminated them on a 4:0 aggregate.

After winning the title in 2020/21, Rangers had three consecutive second-place finishes. Last year, they finished eight points behind Celtic, and this season did not start on the right foot, considering they are already five points away from their arch-rivals after only five rounds. They weren't great in the Champions League Qualifiers as well, losing to Dynamo Kyiv on a 3:1 aggregate. Still, they are a team that did well in the Europa League in recent seasons, constantly reaching the knockout phase and even reaching the finals in 2021/22. So, they have every right to be optimistic about their chances in the EL.

Malmo vs Rangers pick: Over 2.5 goals

Malmo are one of the best teams for this type of bet in Allsvenskan, as 67% of their game finished with three or more goals. The main reason for this is their exceptional offense, considering they scored 57 goals - 2.4 per game. However, their defense have been far from impressive in Europe. They failed to keep a clean sheet in all six games, allowing 13 goals! So, a good offense and poor defense make them excellent for this type of bet.

If we exclude the Celtic game, Rangers are in good form at the moment, winning four out of the last five matches. Their offense was on point, scoring 12 goals - 2.4 per game. So, scoring a couple (or more) goals against Malmo, which had massive defensive problems in European Qualifiers, shouldn't be a problem.

These teams met in the Champions League Qualifiers three seasons ago, with Malmo winning 2:1 in both h2h games. Considering all the above, we expect another high-scoring game, most likely with both teams scoring.