Malmo hosts Turkish side Galatasaray in the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League league stage, here is a preview
Galatasaray are third in the Europa League while their Swedish hosts are languishing in 28th, only a single point behind the playoff places. They go head-to-head in this rare encounter looking to better their fortunes thus far in the competition.
This will be their first ever meeting in a competitive fixture, and a chance to gather more points in the maiden edition of this new league phase format.
Malmo is Sweden’s most successful club having won the Allsvenskan in 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024, yet their European form has been less than spectacular.
They got past Ki and PAOK in the first two rounds of the Champions League qualifying playoffs but lost to Sparta Prague which demoted them to the Europa League league stage.
The Blue Ones have now lost three of their opening four games, with their only victory coming at Qarabag in a 2-1 win on Matchday 2.
Malmo maybe 11 points clear at the top of the Swedish League, but they are currently in the elimination places halfway through the Europa League league phase. They must gather some more points to secure a playoff spot which gives them a fighting chance to make the Round of 16.
Although they have never reached the Last 16 of this tournament and automatic qualification is very unlikely right now, Malmo must fight for a playoff spot in the hope that their momentum can take them far.
Drastic improvements are required and they will have to secure a positive result against Galatasaray in front of their fans which could boost their belief and galvanize the home crowd.
Malmo must dig deep against the Turkish side if they want to harbor any hopes of reaching the next stage of the competition.
On the other hand, the most successful club in Turkey has been enjoying a sensational campaign after clinching the league title with 17 wins in a row at the tail end of last season.
Galatasaray clinched a record 102 points after an epic race with rivals Fenerbahce in the Super Lig, clinching their second consecutive title. Par for the course, Cimbom have been faultless so far in the league as they remain five points clear at the top of the standings, winning 11 of their 12 games.
Their most recent trip to Bodrum was decided by Michy Batshuayi’s 54-minute goal to help secure a hard-fought victory and maintain their strong lead at the top.
Okan Buruk’s side is also unbeaten in Europe since losing their Champions League playoff to Young Boys and dropping to the Europa League. They beat PAOK 3-1 on Matchday 1, drew RFS, then went on to defeat Elfsborg and Tottenham Hotspur in high-scoring encounters.
The Yellow-Reds find themselves only two points behind table toppers Lazio and they now have a chance to leave a significant impression on the league stage standings. They will be looking to emerge from just one of the best sides in the competition into the favourites to reach the final.
Hence, this trip to Malmo will be a tricky one to navigate and they must utilize the quality of their squad to leave Scania with maximum points. Another win will only stir their sky-high belief and confidence to go all the way in European football’s second-tier competition.
They will not be lost on the importance of this fixture, not only as an opportunity to solidify their top-eight spot but also as a psychological boost.
Match tickets
This UEFA Europa League matchday 6 fixture takes place on Thursday, 12 December 2025 with kick-off scheduled for 5:45 PM UK time. It promises to be a memorable occasion and match tickets are now available for sale on the website of each individual club, with priority access given to club members and season ticket holders.
The Eleda Stadion will host this continental matchup and around 22,500 seats should be sold out for what is an important game for both teams. Indeed, home fans will be desperate to help their side to a positive result, but the travelling contingent are sure to make their voices heard.
Interested supporters who are yet to secure their match tickets through official sources can find Malmo vs Galatasaray tickets on a resale site. There, match-going supporters can also find more Galatasaray tickets for the whole season.
Team news
Johan Dahlin, Jens Stryger Larsen, Sead Haksabanovic, Niklas Moisander, Anton Tinnerholm and Stefano Holmquist Vecchia could all miss out for Malmo through injury.
Meanwhile, Ismail Jakobs, Mauro Icardi and Kaan Ayhan are the Galatasaray players set to miss this game.
Line-ups
Henrik Rydstrom regularly switches between the 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 formations and he is likely to stick with the latter to match Galatasaray’s numerical advantage in midfield.
They are likely to aim for solidity rather than fluidity against a yet-unbeaten side this season.
Malmo: Friedrich; Jansson, Rosler, Busanello, Zatterstrom; Christiansen, Pena, Johnsen, Bolin; Kiese Thelin, Botheim
Galatasaray have one of the best squads in this season’s competition and they will be keen to display their strength during this trip just before their winter break.
Gala will look to control the centre of the park and create openings for their front-two which should include Victor Osimhen and Dries Mertens.
Galatasaray: Muslera; Nelsson, Sanchez, Bardakci; Yilmaz, Torreira, Sara, Akgun; Sallai; Mertens, Osimhen
Prediction
There will be goals in this one, as each of Malmo’s last four games has seen at least three goals scored, while they have only failed to score in one of their last nine matches in all competitions.
Gala are keen goalscorers themselves as they have scored the second most goals (12) in the Europa League after four games. That ruthless form should see them through a tricky game at Malmo who may have to be scrambling to protect their defence for most of the match.
An away victory seemingly awaits.
Malmo 0-3 Galatasaray