Malmo vs Zenit: The Russian club beat Group H underdog again

In their first encounter, Zenit defeated Malmö 4-0. Will Sergei Semak’s charges manage to pull off a win from Sweden in the upcoming clash as well? We predict that the Neva club will once again be closer to success!

Malmo are having far from the most successful season in their club history. They are likely living out their last days as the reigning Swedish champions. Yes, the Sky Blue are currently top of the table, but they are beaten on points by Djurgården, who have a very comfortable calendar at the end of the season to avoid slippages. The Scandinavians also look poor on the international stage, having lost their previous four Champions League games by a 0-12, which virtually guarantees them last place in Group H.

Zenit have not been known for stable results of late, but even that does not prevent them from leading in the Russian championship. Yes, in the last couple of months, they allowed defeats to Sochi and Arsenal Tula - 1:2 each, and then shared points with Ural - 0:0, but in the last round, they beat Nizhny Novgorod - 5:1, increasing the gap in the standings from the nearest pursuer already to four points. In the Champions League, Sergei Semak’s charges still have a chance of getting out of the group. Still, to do so, they will need to beat Malmo and Chelsea in the remaining two rounds, which is difficult in itself, and wait for the defeat of the Londoners by Juventus.

Malmo and Zenit are the two outsiders of Group H, whose destiny is to fight for entry into the spring part of the Europa League. In their first encounter, the Russian club made a major step towards achieving that goal when they thrashed the Swedish club 4-0, so all they need to do now is not lose by as much. At the same time, Sergei Semak’s charges will certainly keep in mind a possible second place, for which they need only pick up three points in the upcoming battle. As the match in St Petersburg showed, the team had all the chances to succeed, and you can bet on Zenit’s victory for 1.90.

In the upcoming battle, no one will be satisfied with a draw. Malmo need to beat Zenit by four goals to remain in the European competition, so they will try to hit the opponent’s goal from the very first minutes. It is also important for the Russians to win to move Chelsea from second place in the standings. All of this points to a high-scoring encounter. Moreover, both teams often play to the upside in their domestic competitions. Malmo have scored 87 goals (3.11 goals per game on average) in 28 games, while Zenit have taken 56 shots on goal (3.73 goals per game on average) in 15 games. As a result, a bet on Total Over 2.5 goals for 1.78 is inevitable.

Artem Dzyuba is having a very mixed season. It all started for him by dropping out of the Zenit squad but then gaining and losing form. He scored a hat-trick against Nizhny Novgorod in the last round, coming in second place in the Russian league scorer’s race. He missed the November national team games again, so he should have enough strength and emotion to finally prove himself in the Champions League, and the opponent’s level will be suitable. You can bet on Artem Dzyuba’s goal for 2.10.