Malmoe – Ludogorets

The Bulgarian champion will play commendably in Sweden.

Malmö will begin its Europa League campaign during a rather difficult emotional period for its players. On Saturday, the 'sky blues' relinquished their status as the reigning champions of Sweden. This occurred six rounds before the end of the season in Allsvenskan, which illustrates the level of problems faced by the most decorated club in the country. Meanwhile, Malmö reached the group stage of the Europa League quite confidently. Even in the Champions League qualification, the 'sky blues' overcame Iberia 1999 and RFSh but were eliminated after facing Copenhagen. In the playoff round of Europa League qualification, Malmö practically dismissed Sigma Olomouc - winning 3-0 at home and 2-0 away. Ludogorets has also started the season below its fans' expectations. In the Champions League qualification, the Bulgarian champions had a hard time getting past Dynamo Minsk and Rijeka, so their elimination by Ferencváros was an expected result. In the playoff round of Europa League qualification, Ludogorets managed to squeeze past Shkendija in extra time of the return match. Bookmakers have labelled the hosts as the favourites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.73 for their victory. Malmö seems to have come to terms not only with losing the championship title on the national stage but also with the fact that qualifying for European competitions next season seems unlikely. The home defeat on Saturday against Jurgården highlighted not so much the lack of mathematical chances to reach the TOP-3 of Allsvenskan as the playing weakness of the 'sky blues'. The setback against the capital's rival marked the former champions of Sweden's fourth consecutive defeat in the league. Despite the same instability at the start of the season, Ludogorets possesses a somewhat more quality game potential. The Bulgarian champions' squad, according to a well-known specialised resource, is almost one and a half times more expensive than that of their upcoming opponent. The Bulgarians entered the current season under the leadership of a new head coach - Rui Mota. Last season, the Portuguese managed Armenian Noah, who competed in the Conference League. Ludogorets has experienced many setbacks in the league, but Mota will be judged based on his performance in European matches. Let’s bet that the Bulgarian champions will perform well in Sweden.