The fear of losing literally dominated the first leg: just one shot on goal in Malmö seven days ago, in a match that was hardly spectacular and certainly did not thrill the crowd at the Swedish stadium. This was perhaps to be expected for what is essentially a derby, considering the few kilometers separating the two cities (divided by a long bridge, the second longest in Europe).
The boring 0-0 draw at the Eleda Stadion is probably a more welcome result for Copenhagen: in the second leg, the Danish team will be able to count on home advantage. And what an advantage, given that Parken is notoriously a difficult stadium to play at, especially on European nights. The fact that Jacob Neestrup’s men are focused on qualifying for the next round of the Champions League – a win would see them face Basel in the play-offs – is demonstrated by their first league defeat of the season at the weekend: Aarhus surprised the Danish capital club, scoring three goals (2-3) against a side that had kept a clean sheet in their previous five games in all competitions. Malmö also got distracted by the Champions League, suffering a heavy 3-1 home defeat to Allsvenskan leaders Mjallby, which saw the Blue and Whites slip to 13 points behind the top spot. However, the Swedes are confident in their away form: they have won their last four games away from home and in their only previous European encounter with Copenhagen (Europa League 2019-20), they managed to come away from the nearby Parken with a 1-0 win.
Odds comparison
Copenhagen’s victory is priced at 1.60 on Lottomatica and Snai. The “Under 2.5” bet is priced at 1.72 on Lottomatica and 1.73 on Snai.
- GOLDBET – Up to €3050 for sports and casino with 200% on your first sports deposit up to €1000 MORE INFO
- SNAI – €15 free + 50% on your first deposit up to €30 MORE INFO
- LOTTOMATICA – Up to €3050 on sports and casino with 200% on your first sports deposit up to €1000 MORE INFO
Prediction
We expect another chess match like the one a week ago. A match, to be clear, that could be decided by a single moment. Copenhagen is favored due to home field advantage but also due to greater defensive solidity: excluding last Friday’s defeat in the league, the Danes have been flawless in their own half.
Probable line-ups for Copenhagen-Malmö
COPENHAGEN (4-4-2): Kotarski; Huescas, Hatzidiakos, Pereira, Lopez; Larsson, Mattsson, Delaney, Elyounoussi; Claesson, Moukoko.
MALMO (3-4-2-1): Olsen; Rosler, Djuric, Jansson; Stryger Larsen, Busuladzic, Johnsen, Busanello; Bolin, Haksabanovic; Ali.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-0