Both clubs find themselves near each other in the Europa League table, hovering just outside the playoff spots, and both need a second win in the group stage to advance. Will the passionate support from the Istanbul fans aid the local club?
That's the big question. After their first group stage victory in the Europa League, Beşiktaş lost two consecutive matches in the Turkish Super Lig. While a defeat against their main rivals Galatasaray (1:2 away) may be understandable, the loss to Kasımpaşa (1:3), who were tenth in the league, should be troubling for their supporters. Despite having fewer shots (11-14) but creating higher quality chances (1.49-1.06 xG), Beşiktaş allowed their local rivals to secure a come-from-behind win.
For Malmö, everything is going splendidly. They won their national championship for the second time in a row, this time clinching it early with two rounds to spare, which led Henrik Rydström to heavily rotate his squad and bring in reserves for the match against Hammarby (2:2) last Saturday. In the first half of that away game, the reserves struggled, falling 0:2, but they managed to level things out after halftime with a 100% conversion rate. Malmö have only played one away game in the Europa League so far, in which they defeated Qarabağ (2:1).
Securing a second away victory will be extremely challenging but possible for the Scandinavians. Malmö's captain and goalkeeper Johan Dahlin was instrumental in their past victories over Beşiktaş in both group stage matches (2:0, 1:0) of the 2018/19 Europa League season. The lack of pressure on the visitors could also be beneficial. We will bet on a double chance for the visitors.
