Preview: Malmo vs Red Star Belgrade - prediction, team news, lineups

Malmo FF welcome Crvena Zvezda to the Eleda Stadion on Thursday evening for a crucial Matchday 7 encounter in the Europa League.

The Swedish hosts sit 34th in the league-phase table with just one point from six matches, while the Serbian side are 17th on ten points, making this fixture a vital opportunity for both teams for very different reasons as the new Europa League format continues to generate drama and uncertainty.

Match preview

Malmo return to Europa League action on Thursday knowing they must improve on a challenging league-phase campaign, having struggled for consistency in Europe this season and remaining winless after six matches as they prepare to host Crvena Zvezda at Eleda Stadion.

Their most recent competitive fixture came in December with a 2–1 defeat away to Porto in the Europa League, following a heavy 3–0 loss to Nottingham Forest in November in which Malmo were unable to recover after conceding twice before halftime.

Earlier in November, Di Blae suffered another narrow setback at home, losing 1–0 to Panathinaikos despite a disciplined defensive display, while their only league-phase point came in October with a 1–1 draw against Dinamo Zagreb at Eleda Stadion, a result that briefly steadied their campaign.

The difficulties began earlier in the competition with a 3–0 away defeat to Viktoria Plzen and a 2–1 opening loss at home to Ludogorets Razgrad in September, leaving Miguel Ramirez’s side with three goals scored and twelve conceded across six matches as they continue searching for their first league-phase victory.

This fixture will also mark Malmo’s first competitive meeting with Crvena Zvezda, with no previous head-to-head encounters recorded between the two clubs in UEFA competition.

© Imago / Starsport

Crvena Zvezda arrive in Sweden in strong European form and under new leadership, with Dejan Stankovic set to take charge of his first competitive match since returning to the club in December to replace Vladan Milojevic, as the Serbian champions have built their Europa League campaign on narrow margins and defensive solidity.

Their latest outing came in December with a 1–0 home victory over Sturm Graz in the Europa League, following another disciplined 1–0 win over FCSB in Belgrade in November that saw them record consecutive clean sheets.

Earlier in the competition, they secured a notable 1–0 home win against Lille, strengthening their position in the league phase, while their most recent defeat came in October with a 2–0 loss away to Braga, a match in which they struggled to create chances under sustained pressure.

Red Star Belgrade had also suffered a 2–1 home defeat to Porto but began their Europa League campaign positively with a 1–0 away victory over Young Boys in September, setting the tone for a group stage defined by resilience and defensive organisation, and across their last six competitive matches they have recorded four wins and two defeats, scoring five goals and conceding four.

Like Malmo, Crvena Zvezda have no prior competitive history against Thursday’s opponents, making this their first-ever meeting in European competition.

Malmo Europa League form:

Malmo form (all competitions):

Red Star Belgrade Europa League form:

Red Star Belgrade form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago / Bildbyran

Malmo have not played much football since the end of the 2025 Allsvenskan, aside from their Europa League fixtures against Nottingham Forest and FC Porto.

The home side will be playing for pride on Thursday but will be without Ali Taha, Antonio Palac, and Ricardo Friedrich, all of whom are currently out of contention.

Defender Martin Olsson will leave Malmo at the end of the month when his contract expires, with the 37-year-old set to return to Sweden to join Helsingborg.

Red Star will arrive in Malmo with a fully fit squad, giving them the luxury of fielding their strongest starting XI for Thursday’s contest, with Aleksandar Katai expected to lead their attacking threats.

New manager Stankovic will hope to secure his first Europa League win against a Malmo side that is effectively playing for nothing in the competition.

Malmo possible starting lineup:

Olsen; Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Busanello, Karlsson; Busuladzic, Johnsen, Lundbergh; Soumah, Haksabanovic, Ekong

Red Star Belgrade possible starting lineup:

Matheus; Seol, Lekovic, Prado, Stankovic; Ivanic, Elsnik, Krunic; Kostov, Katai, Aranautovic

We say: Malmo 0-1 Red Star Belgrade

Malmo have endured a disappointing Europa League campaign so far, and anything less than three points on Thursday would effectively end their European season, with the home side having scored just three goals in six games, a statistic that does not bode well against a Red Star Belgrade team that has kept four clean sheets in their last five matches.

A tight contest is expected, but the visitors are predicted to return home with all three points after a narrow victory.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.