Chelsea will be travelling to Malmo FF for their fourth Group H game of the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League season. The Blues are currently second in the group behind Juventus, while Zenit are in third and Malmo are on fourth. Chelsea have beaten Zenit and Malmo at home and lost away to Juventus. Malmo FF have lost all three of their opening UCL games this campaign. In their most recent meeting, Chelsea won 4-0 against Malmo FF at Stamford Bridge. In this post, we will preview the Malmo FF vs Chelsea game with the help of some stats.
Domestically, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea have been in the best of form, and are three points clear above rivals Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table. They have 25 points from their 10 games and have just conceded three league goals. Malmo FF are also on the top of the Swedish League with 51 points from 26 games, one point ahead of second-placed Djurgarden.
Malmo have had a very poor start to their UCL campaign, having lost all three opening games. They haven’t been able to replicate their domestic form into European form.
The above viz shows the xGAor expected goals against stat for various teams in the UEFA Champions League. Malmo FF currently have the highest cumulated xGA in this season’s group stages of 8.939. They have been poor defensively and have conceded 11 goals in their three games, joint-most with Leipzig in the entire Champions League.
This is Malmo’s shot map in their most recent 0-3 defeat at the hands of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They were only allowed to take one shot in the entire game from inside the box. They are one of three teams, along with Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk, to not have scored a goal in the group stages. The problem for the Swedish outfit lies in both defense and attack, and they need a complete turnaround to even think of getting to third and play in the Europa League.
The above viz is Chelsea’s shot map against their opponents Malmo in the return fixture two weeks ago at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea only allowed one shot on their goal and took so many shots on goal in the match. They were also able to score four goals to win the match. They have also been the best team domestically, as they are at the top of the Premier League at the moment.
The above viz shows the number of positional attacks done by various teams in the UCL this season. The defending champions have recorded the second-most positional attacks in the entire UCL, only behind Real Madrid. Chelsea’s domestic form is scary, and they also look to be serious contenders for the UCL title. Thomas Tuchel will hope to win against Malmo and solidify his chances of qualifying for the knockout stages.
Chelsea’s Predicted Lineup – GK: Kepa, CBs: Rudiger, Christensen, Chalobah, LWB: Marcos Alonso, CMs: Jorginho, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, RWB: Azpilicueta, RAM: Callum Hudson-Odoi, LAM: Mason Mount, CF: Kai Havertz
Malmo FF’s Predicted Lineup – GK: Dahlin, CBs: Ahmedhodzic, Nielsen, Brorsson, LWB: Olsson, CMs: Pena, Innocent, Christiansen, RWB: Larsson, RCF: Birmancevic, LCF: Colak
