Copenhagen – Malmoe

The Danish team will defeat the champion of Sweden at their arena

The start of the Scandinavian derby in the third qualifying round of the Champions League took place a week ago at the stadium of the most titled team in Sweden. Copenhagen was initially the favourite in this tie, so the Danish side achieved their minimum goal in the away match - they did not lose. Moreover, the strategy of the Copenhagen club in the Champions League qualifying has not changed from round to round. They played extremely reliably in defence, not allowing Malmo to register a single shot on target. The expected goals statistic for the 'sky-blues' was a humiliating 0.11. In addition, Malmo did not earn the right to a single corner kick. Naturally, ahead of the return match in Copenhagen, the Danish club has a psychological advantage over their opponent. Bookmakers have identified the home team as the favourites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.61 on their victory. Copenhagen sacrificed their Saturday match in the national championship against Aarhus in favour of the impending clash with Malmo. After conceding three unanswered goals by the middle of the second half, the team attempted to come back but only managed to score twice. Several key players only came on as substitutes after an hour of play. This defeat was the first for the club this season, but it can be easily explained. Let's remember that Copenhagen is participating in its second qualifying round of the Champions League. In the previous round, the Danish club won twice against Kosovan Drita with an aggregate score of 3-0. While Copenhagen lost a mundane league match on Saturday, Malmo effectively set their championship ambitions aside in Allsvenskan on the same day. The most titled team in Sweden hosted league leaders Mjölby, trailing them by ten points. However, instead of closing the gap on their competitor, the 'sky-blues' lost 1-3, which may indicate an exit from the championship race. This result will undoubtedly affect the mood of the Malmo players and will psychologically overshadow their July streak of seven consecutive wins. The current season has not been particularly successful for the guests of the upcoming match. It is unlikely they will be able to extract a positive result in Copenhagen.