Wolfsburg travel to the Swedbank Stadium on Thursday to face Malmo in the second leg of their Europa League Round of 32 tie.
The German side won the first leg 2-1 at the Volkswagen Arena and will be confident of progressing into the last 16 with a positive result in Sweden.
Isaac Kiese Thelin gave Malmo the lead from the penalty spot last week, but Josip Brekalo scored two minutes later to level the score. Thelin then put the ball in his own net to give Wolfsburg the advantage heading into the second leg.
Malmo only managed one shot on target in the first leg, while Wolfsburg had 16 attempts. The German side also enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession.
The Swedish top-flight is currently in its off-season, so Malmo haven’t played a game since facing Wolfsburg last week.
On the other hand, Wolfsburg thrashed Mainz 4-0 at the weekend to move up to seventh in the Bundesliga table.
Oliver Glasner’s side are now unbeaten in their last five games in all competitions and have won three of their previous four in the German top-flight.
After a shaky first half of the season, Wolfsburg appear to be heading in the right direction. They boast one of the best defensive records in the Bundesliga and will be hoping to keep another clean sheet on Thursday.
The odds are stacked against Malmo and the history books suggest the Swedish side will struggle to overturn the first leg scoreline.
When losing the first leg of a knockout tie in European competition, Malmo have only managed to progress from one of their last 15 ties.
Meanwhile, Wolfsburg have won all three of their previous meetings against Swedish sides, so Glasner’s men are in pole position to reach the next round.
Malmo have no fresh injury worries ahead of Thursday’s game, so manager Jon Dahl Tomasson is likely to field the same starting eleven that played in the first leg.
Blessing the TL with a little #ThrowbackTuesday masterpiece courtesy of the one and only @EdDzeko! #VfLWolfsburg https://t.co/aol0gvy8Al— VfL Wolfsburg US (@VfLWolfsburg_US) February 25, 2020
Blessing the TL with a little #ThrowbackTuesday masterpiece courtesy of the one and only @EdDzeko! #VfLWolfsburg https://t.co/aol0gvy8Al
Wolfsburg have a number of key players sidelined at the moment, with Jerome Roussillon, William, Joshua Guilavogui and Ignacio Camacho all current injured.
The German side are likely to frustarte Malmo by sitting back and defending their lead. Wolfsburg will be happy to settle for a goalless draw, but they could nick a goal on the break.
Forebet predicts that Wolfsburg will book their place in the Round of 16 with a slender victory on Thursday.