Cercle Brugge v Molde

Cercle Brugge vs Molde Preview

Cercle Brugge received a welcome boost ahead of this upcoming 2nd leg tie at their Jan Breydelstadion in the Europa League against Molde as the Belgian hosts registered a resounding 4-1 thumping of Beerschot in the domestic First Division A on the weekend, while Molde also picked up a win on the domestic front when they registered a 2-1 win away from home at Lillestrom in the Norwegian Eliteserien.

Cercle Brugge have it all to do though on Thursday night when they entertain Norwegian visitors, Molde, especially as the Belgian outfit were handed a heavy 3-0 loss in last week's 1st leg clash at the Aker Stadion, so Miron Muslic's side have little option other than to attack from the kick-off in this return leg.

The bigger picture suggests it may be better to back the goals market in this upcoming clash though as Cercle Brugge have found wins hard to come by in recent times; the Belgian hosts have managed to capture just five wins in their last 16 matches in all competitions, while also slipping to six defeats in the process as well.

However, six of Cercle Brugge's last 10 games overall have produced goals for both teams and given the hosts need to be on the front foot here, the prospect of goals in this return leg looks favourable.

Molde seemingly already have one foot in the play-off stage of this season's Europa League qualifying process as the Norwegian club made the most of home advantage at their Aker Stadion last week as Erling Moe's side produced a resounding 3-0 win to hand them a distinct advantage for this 2nd leg encounter.

A 2-1 win away from home at Lillestrom in the Norwegian top flight became a second win on the trot for Molde who will also be in confident mood as they look to at least avoid a heavy defeat here at Jan Breydelstadion, but they too have slipped to a few losses in recent weeks as well.

Defeats in the Norwegian Eliteserien against KFUM Oslo and Viking along with a 3-2 loss away from home at Danish side Silkeborg in the 2nd leg of their previous qualifying round tie in the Europa League also suggest it may be better to concentrate on the goals market for this upcoming trip to Belgium.

The bigger picture shows Molde have suffered just these three defeats in their last 12 matches though in all competitions which also gives the visitors a chance of gaining another positive result on Thursday night.

Cercle Brugge v Molde Verdict

Cercle Brugge will need to show attacking intent if they are to overhaul this three-goal deficit and this could leave holes at the back for Molde to exploit - both teams to score looks a reasonable option here.

Therefore, our main bet will be BTTS Yes @ 1.57

Other side bets worth considering:

Draw @ 3.75

Correct Score: 1-1 @ 8.00