Malmo vs Sivasspor Prediction and Odds | Europa League August 18
Malmo vs Sivasspor Betting Preview
WagerTalk soccer handicapper Kevin Dolan shares his thoughts on Thursday’s Europa League showdown between Malmo from Sweden and Sivasspor from Turkey. The two sides have yet to face each other in European competition, so Thursday’s matchup sets up a fascinating first encounter.
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| Thursday, August 18 | UEFA Europa League Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Malmo: | -130 |
| Sivasspor: | +340 |
| Draw: | +275 |
| Total: | 2.25 Goals (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings) |
| Game Time: | 1:00pm ET / 10:00am PT |
Malmo vs Sivasspor Analysis
Turkish side, Sivasspor, received a bye into the final stage while Malmo overcame Luxembourgian side Dudelange in the last round to book their place into this final round of fixtures.
It’s been a tough start for Sivasspor domestically this season as they sit down in 15th in the table currently, picking up just one point from a possible six across their opening two games.
Monday’s home encounter against last season’s fifth-place Turkish Super Lig finishers, Alanyaspor, hardly makes things any easier for Sivasspor, but they need to find a way to stop the rot here as they’ve now gone winless across each of their last three games after suffering a comprehensive 4-0 beatdown by Trabzonspor in the Turkish Super Cup three weeks ago also.
Malmo Strong In Eleda Stadion
The Swedish Allsvenskan, by comparison, is over the halfway point of the season and Malmo is currently sitting fourth in the table, securing four wins over their last five league games.
At home, however, it gets even better for Malmo as they own the Allsvenskan’s second-best home record overall and have lost just one game in Eleda Stadion all season.
There is a ray of light for Sivasspor, however, as Lithuanian champions Zalgiris knocked Malmo out of Champions League qualification last month with a 2-0 victory over in Sweden.
Malmo vs Sivasspor Prediction
Sivasspor has been in some poor form heading into Thursday’s clash and we’re not entirely sure they’re capable of turning it around that quickly.
Against Adana Demirspor over the weekend, they were thoroughly outclassed, losing 3-0 to the home side by the final whistle and having only about one-third of the goal-scoring opportunities in that match.
On the road, outside of friendlies, Sivasspor hasn’t won since May, and a tricky trip to Sweden to take on a team who have lost just two times in serious competition going all the way back to November, hardly inspires much confidence that they’ll be able to turn that ship around this week either.
Sivasspor are a quality side no question, but we’re taking the home team in this one, Malmo, to get the outright win on Thursday in the first leg of their final Europa League qualifying battle against Sivasspor in Sweden.
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Meet the Author
‘The sharpest sports mind in Ireland’ is how one prominent newspaper dubbed Kevin Dolan after he became the first foreigner ever to win the World Series of Handicapping tournament back in 2015. “The Irishman” made his start wagering on GAA, football, soccer and boxing, all to immense success. Since becoming a professional bettor, he has since lit up the sports betting scene in the U.S. and abroad, winning two handicapping awards and writing a best-selling book on sports handicapping named ‘The Complete Guide to Sports Betting’.
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