Our prediction for this Europa League match:
Eleda Stadion will host Thursday’s Europa League game between Malmo and Union Berlin, the two teams who are eyeing their first wins of the process. The Blues have been struggling in the Allsvenskan as well, with the team sitting in 5th place in the standings ahead of Matchday 25, and it is no wonder the bookies see them as underdogs in the clash with Union Berlin.
Experienced midfielder Soren Rieks, who limped off injury in a goalless draw with Hammarby, is unlikely to feature against the Bundesliga outfit. The visitors, on the other hand, aim to make amends for back-to-back losses to Royale Union SG and Braga, and they will not have a better chance than this to get back on course. Midfielder Kevin Mohwald should be the only absentee in the away team this time out.
Highlighted Player (Niklas Moisander):
Despite playing for Ajax during his youth career, Niklas Moisander began started playing for Finnish side TPS at senior level. However, after making 17 league appearances for the club in the 2002/2003 season, he returned to Ajax on 5 June, 2003. Moisander played for Jong Ajax in Beloften Eredivisie and in 2006 he joined Zwolle.
The Finnish defender signed for fellow Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar in 2008 and he spent four years at the club. In 2012 he returned to Ajax and he started playing for the Amsterdam Arena outfit on regular basis. After making 77 league appearances for Ajax between 2012 and 2015, he joined Sampdoria on March 2015 on a free transfer.
Moisander signed a three-year deal with the club and he played 22 league games for La Samp in the 2015/2016 Serie A campaign. At the end of the season he moved to Werder Bremen. The former Ajax footballer was born on 29 September, 1985 in Turku, Finland.
Highlighted Team (Union Berlin):
Union Berlin are a German football club originally founded back in 1906. Die Eisernen play home games at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei which can hold up to 22,012 spectators. Union Berlin’s home kit is red, with the team wearing white shirts and white shorts on the travels.
Union Berlin finished the 1923 domestic campaign as runners-up, with the team suffering a 3-0 loss to Hamburger SV in the title game. Speaking of the club’s biggest success in the German Cup, die Eisernen made it to the final of the competition in the 2000/2001 season. Schalke, though, proved to be a big catch for Union Berlin in the decider, with Jorg Bohme scoring a brace for die Knappen (2-0).
Union Berlin will face their local rivals Hertha in the 2019/2020 Bundesliga season as they secured promotion to the German top flight, but Hansa Rostock are considered the club’s main rivals.