Thursday 07/08/2014, 18:00, Europa League Qualifiers, Molde vs Zorya

Molde vs Zorya Preview

Molde is dominating the Norwegian domestic championship and they have a comfortable lead over the runners up. The Europa League Qualifiers are also going according to the plan, but the fact that they failed to win the first match away from home adds some pressure. Now that they have home pitch advantage, the Norwegians are expected to triumph over Zorya, but they need to make sure that the visitors will score an early goal.

Molde vs Zorya Odds

At Ladbrokes

Molde 1.55, Draw 3.80, Zorya 5.50

Molde vs Zorya Tips

It looks like the hosts took the foot of gas in the last week, or maybe it is fatigue that has affected their performance. After winning six matches in a row, Molde found it very difficult to score goals on the road, drawing three of the four fixtures. The only victory was recorded at home against

Rosenborg, a team that also played a lot of games over the last couple of weeks.
Tonight, they need to shift into a more aggressive gear and in order to take an early lead, the host will have to field three strikers once again. Luckily for them, they have exactly what they need, with Chima, Gulbradsen and Elyounoussi being among the most successful strikers in Tippeligaen. They have scored a combined 21 goals, with Elyounoussi leading the pack with nine goals.

Fielding three strikers would mean that the midfield will be relatively thin with just three players, but the good news is that Molde has a strong backline. All four players have scored at least one goal this season which is refreshing and the fact that they also have the best defensive in the domestic championship is encouraging ahead of this fixture.

The visitors are not in great shape, having lost both games in the Ukrainian championship and allowed a total of four goals over the last three games, while scoring just twice. They were dominated in front of their fans in the first leg but they still consider themselves lucky for allowing a goal with just one minutes left in regulation time.

Key Facts

• Zorya needs to score on the road to avoid elimination from Europa League, which means that they will have to take chances upfront and expose themselves to counterattacks.
• Molde has the best offensive and the most reliable backline in the Norwegian championship and lost just one match in the last 30.

Molde vs Zorya Prediction

Even though they could settle for a narrow margin victory or even a scoreless draw, the hosts are unlikely to play small ball tonight. The visitors might take more chances and this will provide Molde with sufficient opportunities to score, therefore it is worth backing them to cover the -1.5 goals spread at odds of 2.50 with Ladbrokes.

Bet: Molde -1.5 goals @ 2.50 with Ladbrokes