Club Brugge will travel to Molde on the 7th of March (17:45 GMT / 12:45 ET / 09:45 PT) in the 1st leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League 1/8.
Molde has participated this season in UEFA Europa League, but they finished in 3rd place in a group with Bayer Leverkusen, Qarabag and Hacken, and they were “demoted” to the knockout rounds of the Conference League. Many pundits were expecting for Molde to get the 2nd place in the group but it was not the case this season.
Molde already played a 2 leg elimination round against Polish side Legia and won both games with an aggregate score of 6-2.
Club Brugge on the other hand dominated their Conference League group and finished in 1st place (5 winning matches and one draw). They played matches agains Bodo/Glimt, Besiktas, and Lugano.
The two sides never squared off in an official match until now.
The form of the teams in the most recent 5 European matches:
- Molde has won 3, drawn 1, and lost 1
- Club Brugge has won all 5 games
Win-Loss Record:
- Molde has secured 2 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses (Europa League), indicating a somewhat mixed performance overall. They’ve won 1 match each at home and away. They also won 2 out of 2 in Conference League.
- Club Brugge, however, has been highly dominant with 9 wins, 2 draws, and only 1 loss, showcasing their superiority in the matches played.
Goal-scoring Efficiency:
- Molde has scored a total of 12 goals in 6 matches, with an average of 2 goals per match. Their home performance has been particularly impressive, with an average of 2.67 goals scored per match.
- Club Brugge, meanwhile, has been prolific in front of goal, scoring 32 goals in 12 matches, with an average of 2.67 goals per match, showing consistent scoring ability both at home and away.
Defensive Strength:
- Molde has conceded 12 goals in 6 matches, with an average of 2 goals conceded per match. While their defense has been relatively leaky, they’ve managed to keep up somewhat defensively at home, conceding only 5 goals in 3 matches.
- Club Brugge, on the other hand, has conceded only 9 goals in 12 matches, with an average of just 0.75 goals conceded per match, showcasing a strong defensive performance overall.
First Goal Timing:
- Molde tends to concede the first goal relatively early, with an average time of 28 minutes, especially so in away matches with an average time of 42 minutes.
- Club Brugge, however, tends to score the first goal much earlier, with an average time of 32 minutes, showing their tendency to start matches strongly offensively.
Clean Sheets and Failed to Score:
- Molde has yet to keep a clean sheet in any of their matches and has failed to score in 1 match.
- Club Brugge, however, has kept 4 clean sheets, evenly split between home and away matches, and has failed to score in 1 match as well.
Biggest Victories and Defeats:
- Molde’s biggest victory was a 5 – 1 win, achieved in a single match, while their biggest defeat was a 1 – 5 loss.
- Club Brugge’s biggest victory stands at 5 – 0, achieved at home and 5 – 1 in an away match, while their biggest defeat was a narrow 0 – 1 loss.
Molde possible starting lineup:
Petersen; K. Haugen, Hagelskjaer, E. Haugen; Linnes, Hestad, Daehli, Kaasa, Lovik; Eikrem, Gulbrandsen
Club Brugge possible starting lineup:
Jackers; Odoi, Ordonez, Mechele, Cuyper; Vetlesen, Onyedika, Vanaken; Olsen, Jutgla, Skoras
Unavailable players:
- Molde: E. Breivik (injured), M. Lovic (suspended), J. Karlstrom (injured), V. Lund (injured)
- Club Brugge: S. Mignolet (injured), A. Nusa (injured), I. Thiago (injured)
It’s quite hard to pin point a favorite for this game, but one thing is certain, both teams are efficient in front of goal and it’s unlikely that the match will be a low scoring & boring one.
Recommended bet: Over 2.5 goals odds: 1.87 @ BetWhale, stake: 80/100
Final Result: Molde – Club Brugge : 2-1
Profit: 69.6 units
