What can Chelsea can expect from Swedish outfit Malmo?
They gave Zlatan his big break and once reached a European Cup final, but can minnows Malmo – and their former Newcastle striker manager – REALLY spring a surprise against Chelsea tonight?
- Chelsea take on Swedish outfit Malmo in their next Champions League group tie
- Thomas Tuchel’s side know that victory will take them closer to the knockouts
- Malmo are Sweden’s most successful team and won the top-flight last season
- Sportsmail looks at what we can expect from Malmo on Wednesday night
Chelsea will continue their quest to get out of their Champions League group when they take on Swedish side Malmo on Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge.
Thomas Tuchel’s European champions began with a slender victory over Zenit St Petersburg but were beaten away at Juventus last time out.
The Blues now have back-to-back games against Malmo – with Tuchel knowing that six points from six will set the west Londoners on their way to yet another European knockout stage.
Sportsmail takes a close look at what we can expect from the Swedish outfit tonight.
Chelsea’s next Champions League task is a home clash with Swedish minnows Malmo (above)
Thomas Tuchel knows that victory over the Swedes takes them closer to the knockout stage
WHO ARE MALMO?
Malmo are Sweden’s most successful club, having won a record 21 top-flight titles and 14 national cups, and are the current reigning champions of the country’s biggest league.
The city is also the birthplace of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who began his professional career with Malmo way back in 1999. Ibrahimovic scored 18 goals in 47 matches before leaving for Ajax in 2001.
However, Malmo’s relationship with Ibrahimovic has been tainted in recent years, after the Swedish striker announced in November 2019 that he bought a 50 per cent stake at rivals Hammarby.
Malmo are Sweden’s most successful team and are the reigning top-flight champions
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (above) started his career at his boyhood club Malmo back in 1999
Malmo fans have vandalised Ibrahimovic’s statue outside the club’s stadium on several occasions in an angry reaction to the striker’s business move.
The Swedish giants have also helped produce the likes of national team legends Martin Dahlin and Patrik Andersson through their academy, while Finland star Jari Litmanen spent two years at the club towards the end of his career.
Brentford captain Pontus Jansson is another player to have come through the Malmo academy, and will be sat in the away end at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
WHAT IS THEIR EUROPEAN RECORD LIKE?
Malmo are certainly a unique club in their part of the world – the Swedish giants are the only Nordic side to have ever reached the final of the European Cup, which preceded the Champions League.
The Swedish side reached the European showpiece event in 1979 but were beaten by Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest in the final thanks to a Trevor Francis goal.
Malmo are the only Nordic team to have reached the European Cup final, losing to Nottingham Forest back in 1979
This is Malmo’s third Champions League group stage since the tournament was rebranded from the European Cup in 1992, but their other two appearances did not go exactly to plan.
Malmo reached the group stages in back-to-back editions of the competition in 2014 and 2015 but finished bottom of their group each time.
The first year saw them paired in a group with that year’s finalists Juventus and the previous year’s finalists Atletico Madrid, along with Olympiacos, but they were thrashed most weeks, apart from a 2-0 home win over the Greek side.
In 2015, their task was even harder with Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Shakhtar Donetsk in their group. Malmo conceded 21 goals in the six matches, ending up on three points once again after beating the Ukrainian side 1-0 at home.
Malmo took on Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea in the Europa League round of 32 clash back in 2019
Their recent Europa League campaigns have been more successful, getting out of the group stages in 2018 and 2019, though the Swedes failed to get through the round of 32 on both occasions.
The first of those knockout appearances was a 5-1 aggregate defeat to tonight’s opponents Chelsea, who went on the win the whole competition under Maurizio Sarri.
HOW HAVE THEY DONE SO FAR THIS SEASON?
Malmo qualified for this season’s Champions League by winning the Swedish top-flight last year, but they have had to reach this stage from the first qualifying round.
Their most impressive display was a 4-2 aggregate win over Steven Gerrard’s Rangers in the third qualifying round at the beginning of August.
Malmo fell behind in the second-leg of the tie on away goals but scored twice in the second-half of the Ibrox leg, despite going down to 10 men.
Malmo knocked out Steven Gerrard’s Rangers in the Champions League third qualifying round
Malmo also defeated Bulgarian side Ludogorets, who have occasionally appeared in the Champions League proper themselves, to seal their spot in the group stages.
The Swedish side reaching the group stages is particularly impressive given they juggled the early rounds with an intense Swedish title race, with the domestic season beginning in April.
Malmo are currently top of the Swedish Allsvenskan, but only on goal difference – with rivals Djurgardens and AIK level on 44 points with seven matches to go.
Malmo have suffered two defeats from two so far in the groups, losing to Juventus and Zenit
Their Champions League group stage campaign so far, however, has been less than impressive. An expected 3-0 home loss to Juventus was compounded by a 4-0 thrashing away at Zenit St Petersburg.
This means Malmo need something from these back-to-back Chelsea matches to stand any chance of reaching the knockouts, or even reaching third place to take them into the Europa League.
WHO ARE THEIR KEY PLAYERS?
In order to get those vital results to keep their European hopes alive, Malmo will surely be turning to top goalscorer Antonio Colak, who has 11 goals in 20 league appearances for them this season.
The 28-year-old, who is on loan from Greek side PAOK Salonika for the season, played a vital role in Malmo getting through the qualifying rounds, scoring five goals in the eight matches – including two away at Gerrard’s Rangers.
Antonio Colak is Malmo’s top goalscorer this season with 11 goals from 20 league matches
Colak has good movement inside the box and at 6ft 2in, he can shrug off most defenders, with the German forward capable of finishing inside the box.
Denmark international Anders Christiansen, who wears ‘AC’ on the back of his shirt, is the creative influence from midfield, with the 31-year-old scoring six goals and registering seven assists so far in the Swedish top-flight.
The midfielder was named as Swedish football’s ‘Most Valuable Player’ last season, and is a three time Allsvenskan ‘Midfielder of the Year’ winner.
Chelsea know all about Christiansen’s eye for goal themselves – he scored in Malmo’s 2-1 Europa League round of 32 first-leg defeat by the Blues back in 2019.
Anders Christiansen (middle) is their midfield maestro and scored against Chelsea in 2019
Defender Anel Ahmedhodzic was being chased by Chelsea in the summer transfer window
At the back, promising young defender Anel Ahmedhodzic was being chased by Chelsea in the summer transfer window but Malmo legend Markus Rosenberg, the player’s agent, blocked a move to Stamford Bridge, according to the player’s father.
The 22-year-old will, however, miss Wednesday night’s Stamford Bridge clash after he was sent off during their last Champions League clash with Zenit St Petersburg.
Blackburn, Norwich and Swansea fans will recognise the figure of Malmo’s Martin Olsson, but the 33-year-old defender is behind Soren Rieks in the left-back pecking order.
Malmo are also undergoing a slight injury crisis with Swedish forward Ola Toivonen out with a knee problem, while former Ipswich Town defender Jonas Knudsen, famed for having a very long throw, is out for the rest of the season with a knee issue of his own.
WHO IS THEIR MANAGER?
Another familiar face in this Malmo team is manager Jon Dahl Tomasson, who won the Champions League as a player with AC Milan back in 2003.
The former Denmark international also had a Premier League stint at Newcastle back in the 1997-98 season, but only played 35 games for the Magpies, scoring four goals.
Former AC Milan and Newcastle striker Jon Dahl Tomasson is Malmo’s manager this season
Tomasson, who was the Denmark assistant manager before taking over at Malmo, was appointed manager of the Swedish club at the start of the 2020 season and led them to the top-flight title in his first campaign in charge.
That achievement, his first trophy in management, earned the 45-year-old the Swedish Allsvenskan Manager of the Year award.
Tomasson had short stints in charge of Dutch sides Roda JC and Excelsior but spent four years as Denmark’s assistant coach, which included supporting national team boss Age Hareide at the 2018 World Cup, before leaving in 2020.
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