Preview: Malmo FF Visits KRC Gent in Europa League Knockout Play

GHENT, Belgium (Interstat) — A struggling Malmo FF side will look to reverse its dismal continental form when it visits a confident KRC Gent in the Europa League knockout round playoffs on Thursday.

The single-leg match at Ghelamco Arena will send the winner into the competition’s round of 16.

Gent, the Belgian Pro League side, enters with momentum from a 2-0 away victory over FC Utrecht in domestic play last Thursday. Their European campaign has been marked by resilience, including a 4-3 road win at SC Braga and a 1-0 victory at Rangers FC. However, consistency has been an issue, with losses to clubs like Midtjylland and Ferencvárosi TC.

In contrast, Sweden’s Malmo arrives under significant pressure, mired in a prolonged winless streak in European competition. The Allsvenskan champions fell 1-0 at home to FK Crvena zvezda last Thursday, their seventh consecutive match without a victory in UEFA tournaments this season. Their last point came from a 1-1 draw with GNK Dinamo Zagreb on Oct. 23, 2025. The stretch includes defeats to FC Porto, Nottingham Forest FC and Viktoria Plzen.

Malmo’s defense has been a particular concern, conceding multiple goals in four of those seven winless outings. The team will need to find a sturdier backbone against a Gent attack that has shown a capacity for high-scoring performances, netting five goals against Lech Poznan earlier in the group stage.

Despite the stark contrast in recent European results, a statistical projection by Interstat forecasts a narrow 2-1 away victory for Malmo, suggesting the Swedish club’s underlying quality may yet surface in knockout play.

The match is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, at 9 p.m. local time (2000 GMT). The winner will advance to face a group winner in the Europa League round of 16.