The Europa League is back this week and on Thursday we get to see the current trophy favourites Chelsea in action. They travel away for the first leg of their tie in the knockout round, and face Malmo of Sweden after what looks to be a favourable tie for them.

Malmo finished second in their group behind Genk, with two wins, three draws and a defeat from their six games. They showed they have the quality to compete in the group stages, but that was a poor group really and they failed to show anything that would make them of interest against many clubs in the knockout round, let alone the competition’s favourites. This is a big step up for Malmo and although they found a way to pick up draws and qualify against lower quality opposition, this is a much bigger test.

Chelsea went unbeaten to top the group after five wins and one draw from their six games. They could really have won all six of their games but in their final game they rested a number of key players and drew with MOL Vidi. Away from that game, they were impressive in their five wins and this game puts them against a similar quality opponent, so Chelsea should be very confident that they can win this one.

I would not be surprised to see The Blues play a fairly strong team here, they don’t play again until Monday night and getting this tie wrapped up in the first leg would enable them to rotate the squad as they pleased for the second leg at home. Clubs approach things differently in games that are spread over two legs, but for me Chelsea will aim to start well and try to win this game in Sweden, and then rest their key players in the second leg when they have it in the bag.

Are Chelsea Worthy Europa League Favourites?

Chelsea are favourites with the bookmakers to win the entire Europa League, with fellow English club Arsenal in behind them as second favourites. That may come as a surprise to some as many English clubs often disregard the Europa League, but these two have European managers who like to target this competition. There is a chance that both teams will miss out on the top four in the Premier League this season, and with that in mind it would ease the pain somewhat to win the Europa League. Both teams have managers that joined during last summer and despite missing out on the top four, if they were able to bring home a trophy then their season would be seen as a successful one by many.

If there is one team who look to have a good chance of bringing home a trophy then it is Chelsea, who are still in three cup competitions, compared to just one that Arsenal are in. Maurizio Sarri has played a strong team when he has had a cup game, and it is clear to see just from this season that he respects these much more than some other Premier League managers do. The Blues face this game to kickstart their quest for the Europa League, they play Manchester United for a place in the quarter finals of the FA Cup on Monday night and then play Manchester City in the EFL Cup final next weekend.

Alongside the fact that we normally see English clubs disregarding this competition, the other reason why some may not fancy Chelsea is because of the list of challengers they have left. Behind them and Arsenal in the betting you will see big names like Napoli and Inter Milan from Italy, as well as Sevilla from Spain, all of whom are big names for this competition. Sevilla have been in from the start just like Chelsea, but the two Italian clubs were very unlucky to not qualify for the knockout round of the Champions League, and as a result they have been demoted to the Europa League.

A number of clubs will fancy themselves in this competition, and perhaps one of the biggest factors in deciding who wins is the draw. While ever Chelsea can keep playing games like this one where they can target one leg to get it over and done with, and then rest players in the second leg, they are going to have a great chance of lifting the trophy. As we come towards the end of a bust season for all of the clubs around Europe, fitness is going to play a huge part in results and the more rest that Chelsea can get, the better their chances. They are still involved in four competitions though and that is not going to be easy.

Malmo vs Chelsea Betting Tips

There is no doubt that if you compare the full strength teams between these two that Chelsea would come out comfortably on top. What I am hoping for here is that The Blues see this game as an opportunity to almost win the leg in one tie, and play their full strength team, or close to it. They don’t have to worry too much about the weekend as they are not back in action until Monday night, which helps.

If Chelsea do play a full strength team then I fancy them to really win this game comfortably, and I am backing them to do so on the -1 handicap line. This gives us a much better price about them winning, and with the game being over two legs we know they are not going to sit back and defend a one goal lead, they will want to add to it.

Malmo didn’t fare too badly in the group stage, but this game against Chelsea represents a huge step up in class for them and to me that looks to be a step too far. There is no doubt that they are a capable Europa League team and they can compete at this level, but they are going up against a top quality team here that wouldn’t look out of place in the Champions League.

We need to hope Chelsea play a strong team, but I think they will, and that will then lead to them winning this game by a comfortable margin and wrapping things up before we get to the second leg.

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