Will the Tricky Trees secure their third consecutive victory?
Solid defense, hard work, discipline, and organization – these are the key aspects that Sean Dyche focuses on in his daily training sessions, and this has also been the case in the days leading up to our Nottingham vs. Malmö tip. This formula is currently leading to success and calming the situation around the Tricky Trees.
The 54-year-old has been in charge of the Garibaldi Reds since the end of October and has a respectable record to show for it. The home side has averaged 1.83 points from its first six competitive games. We definitely think the Premier League club is capable of picking up three more points in the Nottingham vs. Malmö prediction.
Last weekend’s 3-0 away win at Anfield Road against Liverpool gave Dyche’s team additional confidence and extended their current streak to four consecutive unbeaten competitive games (2W, 2D). In the upcoming home game against the weakest team in the current Europa League season (Malmö has collected 2.1 expected points – 36th place), we expect another brilliant defensive performance from the Garibaldi Reds.
Tuesday is a dreaded day for his players. Every week on this day, Dyche’s squad undergoes a “beasting session” – a training session with maximum focus on the physical and, above all, running elements of the game. So far, the dosage has been right, and Nottingham has nevertheless dominated both matches in the Europa League under Dyche, conceding no goals and remaining unbeaten (2-0 vs. Porto, 0-0 vs. Sturm Graz).
Nottingham – Malmö Head-to-head record
Nottingham has played more games against the Swedes (3 games) than against any other club at European level. In 1979, the Tricky Trees won the European Cup final (1-0). In 1995, the English representative celebrated advancing in the UEFA Cup (1-0, 1-2).
In the fourth direct encounter, another win for Nottingham should be a realistic scenario. Malmö has lost 16 of its 20 previous Europa League appearances (1W, 3D) and has emerged victorious from only one of its five previous competitive games.
Nottingham – Malmö Tip
No other participant in the Europa League group stage has conceded fewer shots than the Garibaldi Reds (30). Overall, Dyche’s team has conceded only 3.3 expected goals (4th). Offensively, the English representative’s path leads as usual purposefully into the penalty area – 9.1 expected goals is the best value after four rounds of play.
Without much ado, they go deep vertically and their finishing positions usually have good chances of success (0.17 xG/shot – the joint best in the Europa League). Overall, the hosts have suffered only one defeat in six competitive games under Dyche.
Their Swedish opponents are somewhat mired in a results crisis, even though they celebrated a narrow 2-1 home win against GAIS last weekend. Prior to that, Malmö had gone four consecutive competitive games without a win, never scoring more than one goal.
The Blue and Whites are struggling to find solutions up front against their Europa League opponents, with the visitors scoring just two goals in four EL appearances so far.
