Preview:Sigma Olomouc vs Malmo - prediction, team news, lineups

After easing to a three-goal first-leg victory last week, Malmo travel to Czechia to face Sigma Olomouc at Andruv Stadion in the second leg of their Europa League playoff tie on Thursday night.

The winners of this tie on aggregate will progress to the League Phase of the Europa League, while the losers will drop down into the Conference League.

Match preview

Malmo are well-positioned to qualify for the Europa League for the third time in four years after they secured a 3-0 victory over Sigma on Swedish soil in last week’s first leg.

Sead Haksabanovic scored a first-half brace to put Malmo in control of the tie, before Lasse Berg Johnsen came off the substitutes’ bench to convert from the penalty spot and move the Blues one step closer to entering Friday’s League Phase draw.

Head coach Henrik Rydstrom was “satisfied” with his team’s overall performance and feels that Malmo are in a “fairly stable” position to qualify, but he does not want his players to rest on their laurels and has insisted that it is “only half-time” in the two-legged tie.

Since suffering a heavy 5-0 defeat to Copenhagen in Champions League qualifying earlier this month, Malmo have tightened up at the back as they have kept three successive clean sheets, most recently playing out a goalless stalemate with Goteborg in the Allsvenskan standings.

Sitting third in the Swedish top flight and 13 points behind the summit with nine game left to play, reigning champions Malmo look on course to be dethroned this term, but Rydstrom’s men can lift spirits within the camp if they finish the job in Thursday’s second leg to secure Europa League football.

Competing in Europa League qualifying for just the third time in their history, Sigma Olomouc are staring down the barrel of elimination and have a steep mountain to climb if they wish to pull off an almighty upset and overturn their three-goal deficit.

Hanaci entered the European qualification stage after winning the Czech Cup for just the second time in their 116-year history last season, but their hopes of reaching the League Phase of the 2025-26 Europa League are now hanging by the thinnest of threads.

Despite losing 3-0 to Malmo last week, head coach Tomas Janotka “dare say that it was the best performance of the entire autumn” from his team, and the message is clear that his players will ‘not lay down their weapons’ just yet as they attempt to “dramatise” the second leg with an early goal.

Sigma’s preparation for Thursday’s contest has not been ideal, though, as they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat away against Hradec Kralove in the Czech First League last weekend - their second loss in three top-flight matches in the new season.

Sigma Olomouc Europa League form:

Sigma Olomouc form (all competitions):

D W L W L L

Malmo Europa League form:

Malmo form (all competitions):

D L L W W D

Team News

Sigma Olomouc are still having to cope without attacking duo Yunusa Muritala (ACL) and Jan Kliment (broken leg) as they continue to recover from long-term injuries.

Janotka is expected to freshen up the right side of his starting lineup, with full-back Filip Slavicek and winger Jan Navratil in line for a recall at the expense of Matej Hadas and Artur Dolznikov, while playmaker Stepan Langer will be pushing to replace Simion Michez in the final third.

As for Malmo, Pontus Jansson, Martin Olsson (both hamstring), Johan Dahlin (knee) and Anders Christiansen (groin) have recently joined long-term absentees Erik Botheim (broken leg) and Gentian Lajqi (knee) in the treatment room

Goalkeeper Robin Olsen and centre-back Andrej Djuric - two new signings - are both expected to continue in the first XI along with attacker Haksabanovic who has notched up five goals in his last six appearances.

Sigma Olomouc possible starting lineup:

Koutny; Slavicek, Sylla, Kral, Slama; Breite, Spacil; Navratil, Langer, Tkac; Vasulin

Malmo possible starting lineup:

Olsen; Stryger Larsen, Rosler, Djuric, Busanello; Ali, Rosengren, Johnsen, Bolin; Haksabanovic; Gudjohnsen

We say: Sigma Olomouc 1-3 Malmo (Malmo to win 6-1 on aggregate)

Sigma Olomouc are expected to burst out of the blocks and post an instant threat to Malmo’s backline in an attempt to bring themselves back into the tie, but pushing bodies forward could leave them vulnerable on the counter-attack. Malmo will be regarded as firm favourites to come out on top and they should have few problems securing a win in Czech Republic.

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