Malmoe FF vs Galatasaray Lineups, Preview, Prediction and Team News| UEFA Europa League, December 12, 2024

Malmoe FF vs Galatasaray Preview

• Tournament: UEFA Europa League
• Date: Thursday, December 12, 2024
• Time: 5:45 pm GMT
• Venue: Eleda Stadium

Malmoe will host Galatasaray in their sixth UEFA Europa League 2024-25 clash on Thursday at the Eleda Stadium. Both sides have had a contrasting campaign so far and will look for a win.

Malmoe are staring at the prospect of elimination as they sit 30^th in the table after five games. They have one win and four draws and sit two points behind the top 24. Teams between 9^th and 24^th will have to compete in a playoff to reach the knockouts and Malmoe will be keen to get to that bracket.

Galatasaray, meanwhile, are unbeaten in the competition so far and sit fourth in the table with three wins and two draws. A win on Thursday would almost secure their place in the top 8 in the league phase and consequently, their place in the Round of 16.

Hence, a win is important for both sides and with just two games remaining after this, there isn’t a big margin for error for either.

Malmoe FF Team News

Malmoe FF will be without Anton Tinnerholm, Johan Dahlin, Niklas Moisander, Pontus Jansson, Sead Haksabanovic, and Stefano Holmquist Vecchia against Galatasaray due to their respective injuries.

Galatasaray Team News

Galatasaray, meanwhile, will be without Baris Alper Yilmaz, Ismail Jakobs, and Kaan Ayhan for Thursday’s clash. Mauro Icardi is out for the season due to an ACL injury.

Predicted Lineups

Malmoe FF predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Ricardo Friedrich

Defenders: Busanello, Nils Zatterstrom, Colin Rosler, Jens Stryger Larsen

Midfielders: Lasser Berg Johnsen, Sergio Pena, Anders Christiansen

Attackers: Hugo Bolin, Erik Botheim, Otto Rosengren

Galatasaray predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Fernando Muslera

Defenders: Berkan Kutlu, Davinson Sanchez, Metehan Baltaci, Roland Sallai

Midfielders: Gabriel Sara, Lucas Torreira, Dries Mertens

Attackers: Hakim Ziyech, Victor Osimhen, Yunus Akgun

Malmoe FF vs Galatasaray H2H Record

The two sides have never faced each other. It will be their first-ever meeting on Thursday.

Also Read: Elfsborg vs Qarabag Prediction, Preview, Lineups and Team News | Europa League, December 12, 2024

Key Players to watch in Malmoe FF vs Galatasaray

Erik Bothiem

The Norwegian forward has been a key player for Malmoe FF in the UEFA Europa League this season. He joined the club from Salernitana in February earlier this year. Overall, Bothiem has scored 18 goals and provided seven assists in 47 games across competitions for Malmoe FF.

He has scored three goals in five Europa League games this season for the Swedish side. He scored both of their goals in their only win in the competition this season – a 2-1 win over Qarabag. Bothiem will look to add to his tally against Galatasaray.

Victor Osimhen

The Nigerian striker has excelled since joining Galatasaray on loan from Napoli in the summer. There was plenty of speculation about his future and he was linked with the likes of Chelsea but he ended up joining the Turkish giants.

Osimhen has scored 10 goals and provided five assists in 13 games across competitions this season. Three goals and two assists out of those have come in four Europa League appearances. With his future still up in the air, Osimhen will be keen to make a big impact with Galatasaray this season to earn a big move next summer.

Malmoe FF vs Galatasaray Prediction

This appears to be a straightforward fixture on paper but is anything but. While Malmo have won just one match in the Europa League this season, they have shown great fight in all of them.

The Swedish side have just two wins in their last five games across competitions with two defeats and one draw. They lost 4-1 against Ferencvaros away from home before beating Torslands IK 5-2 in their last two games.

Galatasaray, meanwhile, are in tremendous form. They are unbeaten in their last 17 games across competitions. Their last defeat came back in August when they lost against Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League Qualifiers.

The Turkish giants, though, have just one win in their last three games having drawn the other two. They drew against AZ Alkmaar and Eyupspor before beating Sivasspor.

While Malmo have the home advantage and they are desperate for points, it’s tough to see them get anything against the quality of Galatasaray.

Predicted Score: Malmoe FF 3-0 Galatasaray

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