Molde v Elfsborg

Molde vs Elfsborg Preview

Molde will be glad to be returning to the more familiar surroundings of their Aker Stadion for this upcoming Europa League play-off encounter against Swedish visitors Elfsborg following a 1-0 loss away from home in Belgium at the hands of Cercle Brugge in last week's 2nd leg of the previous round in this competition, while Elfsborg earned a point in a 1-1 draw away from home at Mjallby in the Swedish Allsvenskan on the weekend.

Despite losing 1-0 on the road to Cercle Brugge in the 2nd leg of the previous qualifying round though, Molde had already registered a comprehensive 3-0 home win over their Belgian counterparts which ultimately handed the Norwegian side a healthy 3-1 win on aggregate.

Molde had previously accounted for Danish outfit Silkeborg in the earlier qualifying round by a 5-4 win on aggregate which included a 3-1 win on home soil at their Aker Stadion but having also slipped to a 3-2 loss on the road away in Denmark, Molde will certainly be keen to make home advantage count here on Thursday evening.

Recent results have been a little disappointing overall as Molde have managed to pick up just three wins in their last eight matches in all competitions whilst being handed four defeats but the bigger picture shows Molde have been handed just three defeats in their last 22 games on home soil, picking up 14 wins in the process.

Onto Elfsborg and the Swedish visitors will be looking to replicate their recent result on the road in the Swedish top flight on the weekend here on Thursday night after earning a 1-1 draw away from home at Mjallby.

Elfsborg have made themselves a tough unit to beat under manager Oscar Hiljemark as the visitors have been dealt just the single defeat in their previous 12 games in all competitions which came in the form of a 2-1 loss at home to Djurgarden in the Swedish Allsvenskan.

However, having also collected no fewer than nine victories within these previous 12 matches, the visitors will also feel that they stand a decent chance of producing a positive result here at the Aker Stadion, especially as Elfsborg have already picked up some useful results in the earlier qualifying rounds of the Europa League as well.

Victories against Pafos 8-2 on aggregate, Sheriff 3-0 on aggregate and a 3-1 win on aggregate against Rijeka have given Elfsborg a decent shot at reaching the group stage of this season's competition.

Molde v Elfsborg Verdict

Molde and Elfsborg met before in the UEFA Conference League two seasons ago which resulted in Molde recording a comprehensive 6-2 win on aggregate and the hosts look well placed to gain another win here on Thursday night.

Therefore, our main bet will be Molde win @ 1.65

Other side bets worth considering:

Molde win & Under 2.5 goals @ 4.50

Correct Score: Molde 1-0 @ 8.50