Malmo v Chelsea predictions: Ruthless holders unlikely to slip up in Sweden

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Malmo v Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Where to watch

BT Sport 2, 5.45pm Tuesday

Best bet

Chelsea to win & under 3.5 goals
2pts 11-10 bet365, BoyleSports

Team news

Malmo
Striker Ola Toivonen and defender Jonas Knudsen are injured but Niklas Moisander has returned to action since the matchday-three defeat to Chelsea.

Chelsea
Forwards Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner remain sidelined along with midfielder Mateo Kovacic. Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic are doubtful but Kepa is expected to start in goal.

Match preview

Chelsea enjoyed an excellent weekend, extending their lead at the top of the Premier League to three points as their main title rivals stumbled, and a Champions League trip to Malmo is unlikely to dampen the Blues' spirits.

Thomas Tuchel's men had to be patient before completing a 3-0 victory at Newcastle thanks to a second-half brace from wing-back Reece James and a Jorginho penalty.

A lack of panic, allied with a rock-solid defence, has been a hallmark of Chelsea under Tuchel and they should prove far too strong for their Swedish hosts, even without injured forwards Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner.

Lukaku got the Champions League holders up and running with the only goal at home to Zenit St Petersburg on matchday one before a depleted Blues side lost 1-0 at Juventus in their second game.

They breezed past Malmo 4-0 a fortnight ago, scoring four times in the first 57 minutes against opponents who had already lost 3-0 at home to Juve and 4-0 at Zenit.

Tuchel may use this game to test the strength of his squad so players such as Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Trevoh Chalobah and Ross Barkley could get opportunities.

Barring a recent 7-0 rout of the Premier League's bottom club Norwich, who played the final 25 minutes with ten men, Chelsea tend to be satisfied with 2-0 or 3-0 wins in this kind of fixture and it could be worth backing the Blues to win a game featuring under 3.5 goals.

Malmo won all four of their home ties in Champions League qualifying, including a 2-1 win over Scottish champions Rangers, but none of those games produced more than three goals.

They have struggled with the step up to the group stage, managing to gain only 27 per cent of possession at Stamford Bridge, where they had just two shots at Edouard Mendy's goal, both of which were off target.

Malmo had to wait until the last 15 minutes to post a shot on target against Juve, through substitute Martin Olsson, and Jon Dahl Tomasson's men are unlikely to have much to celebrate against the European champions on matchday four.

Key stat

Chelsea have won to nil in ten of their last 15 Champions League matches.

Inside info

Malmo

Penalty taker Anders Christiansen
Free-kick wizard Anders Christiansen
Set-piece aerial threat Antonio Colak
Card magnet Bonke Innocent

Chelsea

Penalty taker Jorginho
Free-kick wizardHakim Ziyech
Set-piece aerial threatAntonio Rudiger
Card magnetAntonio Rudiger

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