Malmo FF vs Granada CF
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Today’s free tip is in the UEFA Europa League encounter between Malmo FF and Granada CF in Sweden.
I like Malmo FF. They’re the best team in Sweden because they’ve got two players per almost every position, and they usually make it count. They tend to start their campaigns a little sluggishly but warm up to it in time. With an attack like the one they have now, there aren’t really any Allsvenskan teams that can stop them. The only team from Sweden that can stop them is Malmo FF themselves, which happens from time to time.
The way Malmo FF play now is the way they’ve played for some time now i.e. as the dominant team in the country. They’re used to seeing a lot of the ball, they’re used to using it better than most, and they’re definitely used to converting their chances better than anyone else. They win games by grinding teams down, pumping balls into the box for their big target men, or taking pot shots from just outside the box. Unlike with most Allsvenskan teams, they’re just as good from range as they are from inside the box so it’s safe to say that this is a very dangerous team to face.
However, there’s one fatal flaw in this squad that has existed since August, and it’s their lack of a consistent maintainer. For years now, they’ve not even had to think about it because they had Bachirou, yet another success of the peak Ostersunds FK ‘era’. He was brilliant at playing the ‘Kante’ role for them, keeping the ball, ensuring the tempo is maintained, stifling opponents’ attacks. Now he’s gone though, signed for Nottingham Forest in the English Championship.
Since then, Malmo FF have not controlled enough games properly, whether it’s because they’ve lost any concept of how fast they need to be playing in order to break teams down, or whether it’s to stifle teams that have come with an attacking plan. I remember watching Orebro’s high press destroy Malmo FF not long back, and even though the foolish hosts were still trying to build upon their lead at 3-2, giving Malmo FF chances to get back into the game on the break, they held on to win because they were bold enough and fit enough to take the game to Malmo FF. That’s what happens to the Malmo FF defence without the appropriate protection, and with the appropriate drive.
Truth be told, until they beat BK Hacken Goteborg at weekend, Malmo FF have not impressed me in the Allsvenskan since Bachirou left – and even their weekend win was borne out of an uncharacteristic meltdown from their opponents at the start of the game. I don’t want to paint too grim of a picture of Malmo FF here; they’re still the best team in Sweden. They’re still working on their weaknesses, as always, and have now found faster, fitter full-backs to support their attacks in Bejimo and Knudsen as the Safari era draws to a conclusion. They’ve still got one of the best centre-backs they’ve had in years in Ahmedhodzic. They’ve now added central midfielder Brorsson to their ranks too. This is not a team to underestimate, nor allow to dwell on the ball too much.
That’s just it, though. A good team won’t let Malmo FF sit on the ball. I didn’t have any qualms about backing Malmo FF to win at Budapest Honved, nor to batter Lokomotiva Zagreb, both of which I tipped. I mean, Budapest Honved had just sold their best flair player in attack, and Lokomotiva Zagreb lost a lot of players pre-season because they’re Dinamo Zagreb’s “B” team, who haven’t sent them their usual quota of talented youngsters to utilise this season. Those games in which they were the superior team, the ones that would see the majority of the ball, though. That’s what suits Malmo FF. However, I would be amazed if Granada CF, a Spanish team, allowed them to sit on the ball. For once, Malmo FF are not the team that is expected to control possession, and if that is indeed the case, this game is going to be seriously problematic for the Swedish champions. Without the ball, they become a lot more vulnerable as their weaknesses are highlighted even more. That’s made harder by the absence of familiar face Bachirou too. I just don’t see a happy ending for the Swedes here, to be frank.
Of course, I’m boldly assuming that Granada CF are going to give a shit about this fixture, which they might not. It’s usually only about February time when teams from the big European leagues start taking the UEFA Europa League seriously. However, they named a strong side when they overcame Lokomotiv Tblisi of Georgia in the last round, and when they hammered Teuta Durres 4-0 away from home, so it’s logical enough to expect that to continue tonight. Besides, even if it’s not on their radar, a UEFA Europa League run – they still need to bounce back from the pounding they took from Atletico Madrid at weekend and it’s far easier to do that in Sweden than it will be at newly-promoted Cadiz at weekend.
Granada CF are a typical southern Spain outfit in the sense that they like to see a lot of the ball, and play games are their own tempo. Deny them that, and they struggle – but I doubt Malmo FF have the legs in midfield to do that, so I expect the Spaniards to dictate the tempo tonight. They’re now laden with creativity, Granada CF, but they do have a good squad balance. They tend to rely more on the physical side of things in order to ram home their advantage, although there’s still a natural ease about being on the ball that simply comes with the territory of being a Primera Liga outfit, which gives them a real advantage here.
Things tend to be rather regimented at Granada CF with Herrera doing the dirty work in midfield whilst Vadillo, Azeez, and Puertas support the attacks with a lot of speed and tenacity. They’re not as mobile in attack without Fernandez being there this season, who has returned to Sevilla CF, but what they do have are two very experienced campaigners in Soldado and Molina, and Machis is fast enough to balance things out nicely. They’ve also added Chelsea misfit Kenedy and Tenerife irritant Milla to provide a bit of depth, which makes me think that they have set their stall out to be competitive in more than one competition this season.
They’re alright defensively too, Granada CF, principally because they’re well-protected by a robust midfield. It’s a team game at this club; everybody fights. I like that about them. If you get at them as individuals then yes, results like the drubbing against Atletico Madrid can be expected – but most teams can’t do that to them. I’ve seen nothing from Malmo FF to suggest that they can be an exception tonight either.
In my opinion, Granada CF are going to control this game. They should control it, kick Malmo FF’s best players on a regular basis, and take their chances well enough to win a frankly scrappy affair. For me, the Spaniards are far better placed than a Bachirou-less Malmo FF to do well in Europe so the away win tickles my fancy at 9/10.
Verdict: Granada CF to win at 9/10.
Thursday’s Thoughts
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts. For confidence ratings, you’ll need to go to the members section here.
UEFA Europa League:
Young Boys Bern vs KF Tirana
Dinamo Zagreb vs Flora Tallinn
CFR Cluj vs KuPS
Ararat-Armenia vs Red Star Belgrade
Dinamo Brest vs Ludogorets Razgrad
FK Sarajevo vs Celtic
Hapoel Be’er Sheva vs Viktoria Plzen
Rosenborg BK vs PSV Eindhoven
AEK Athens vs VfL Wolfsburg
FC Basel vs CSKA Sofia
Sporting Clube de Portugal vs LASK
Sporting Charleroi vs Lech Poznan
Legia Warsaw vs Qarabagh FK
Rio Ave vs AC Milan
FC Copenhagen vs Rijeka
Dundalk vs KI
Malmo FF vs Granada CF
Tottenham Hotspur vs Maccabi Haifa
Slovan Liberec vs APOEL Nicosia
Standard de Liege vs Fehervar
Rangers vs Galatasaray
Copa Libertadores:
Olimpia Asuncion vs Santos
Tigre vs Club Guarani Asuncion
Delfin vs Defensa y Justicia
English League Cup:
Brentford vs Fulham
Aston Villa vs Stoke City
Liverpool vs Arsenal
Faroese Betrideildin:
Skala vs B36 Torshavn
Icelandic Urvalsdeild:
Breidablik Kopavogur vs KA
Vikingur Reykjavik vs KR
Stjarnan Gardabaer vs FH
Spanish Primera Liga:
Athletic Club vs Cadiz
Sevilla CF vs Levante CF
Celta de Vigo vs Barcelona CF
Enjoy your free betting tips!