Malmo vs Zalgiris

Eleda Stadion is the venue as heavily fancied Malmo look to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Zalgiris in their Champions League second qualifying round tie.

Malmo bounced back from a morale-crushing defeat in Lithuania by dismantling domestic rivals Sirius 3-1 at home over the weekend. Having won their last four competitive home matches by an aggregate score of 11-4, the reigning Swedish champions will feel confident about turning this tie on its head. On top of that, before losing at Zalgiris, Malmo had been unbeaten in both previous European clashes against Lithuanian opposition (W1, D1), keeping a clean sheet on each occasion. Adding to their confidence, Milos Milojevic’s men have successfully negotiated their Champions League second qualifying round ties in both previous attempts. Flying out of the traps should come in handy, and after netting precisely three goals in their last three competitive home outings, Malmo will be confident of pulling that off.

On the other hand, Zalgiris squeezed past Kosovo outfit Ballkani in their previous Champions League qualifying tie (1-1 A, 1-0 H), as they needed second-leg extra-time to make it happen. But the visitors should be feeling comfortable about themselves after going unbeaten in their last seven competitive fixtures (W5, D2). A stellar backline has provided the backbone for Zalgiris’ recent success, with Vladimir Cheburin’s side keeping four clean sheets in their last seven outings while conceding precisely once in the remaining three. Moreover, before a 1-1 draw away to Ballkani on their most recent competitive travel, Zalgiris had registered six consecutive shutouts on hostile turf (W6).