Slavia Prague is among the teams that failed in the current European Cup season. And for no apparent reason. In the national championship, the club from the capital demonstrates an overwhelming advantage over its rivals in the fight for the championship title, but in the Europa League it lost its chances of participating in the play-offs even before the final round of the general stage. Interestingly, the four points that Pražany picked up in the tournament were won in the two starting rounds. Ludogorets were beaten in Bulgaria, while a draw with Ajax was recorded at home. Malmo started the European season as Swedish champions. While events were unfolding in the overall Europa League stage, the sky-blues defended the title, doing so much more convincingly than in the last Allsvenskan. However, even in the case of Malmo, the team's complete wealth in the seven rounds of the Europa League was four points through a win over Qarabag and a draw with Galatasaray. Bookmakers have identified the home team as favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.64 on their victory.

Part of Slavia Prague's failure in the Europa League can be attributed to the disappointment caused by their elimination from the final stage of Champions League qualification. Focusing on the national championship and winning the league title would entail the option that Sparta Prague now has to play out the overall Champions League stage. This option is a direct entry into the elite European tournament, bypassing qualification. This goal Slavia Prague achieves with success. Now the capital team is seven points ahead of the nearest pursuer in the Czech championship, which emphasises the good chances for the title.

For Malmo, as for a number of other European clubs, the new format of continental tournaments is a real tragedy. Whereas under the previous system the second part of the European season started in the third decade of February, now it starts a month earlier - in the third decade of January. The Swedish championship is played under the "spring-autumn" system. The Sky Blue played their last Allsvenskan match in mid-November 2024, while the last official meeting before their loss against Twente a week ago took place in mid-December 2024. Prague will win at home, even if they don't maximise their mood for the match.