The match of matchday 8 of the group stage of the 2025/26 Europa League between Genk (Belgium) and Malmö (Sweden) will take place on 29 January at Cegeka Arena. Genk vs Malmö: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Genk
Genk secured their place in the playoffs in the last round. The team played away at Utrecht and beat the Dutch side 2:0. That was the third win in the last four group-stage Europa League matches (and one defeat). They rose to 10th place in the standings while still keeping a chance to finish in the top eight.
- The club has gone unbeaten in 7 of its last 10 matches in this competition (5 wins and 2 draws).
- At most two goals were scored in 5 of Genk's last 7 Europa League matches.
- At least one team failed to score in 5 of Genk's last 7 matches in this European competition.
Potential Genk Lineup (4-5-1)*
Genk: Tobias Lawal – Zakaria El Ouahidi, Matte Smets, Mujahid Sadik Aliu, Jaymar Medina – Daan Heymans, Bryan Heynen, Junya Ito, Ira Sorr, Konstantinos Karetsas – Aaron Bibu.
Midfielder Barry Amadou will miss the match due to suspension, while forward Noa Adededji-Sternberg is sidelined with injury.
Malmö
Malmö are one of only three teams in the current group stage that have not won a game and have collected just 1 point. In the last round the team hosted Crvena Zvezda and lost 0:1. That was the fourth consecutive defeat in this European competition. The club has lost all chances of reaching the playoffs. It is also worth noting that the team have scored only three goals, with only Maccabi Tel Aviv (2) scoring fewer.
- The team's winless run in the Europa League stands at 7 matches (1 draw and 6 defeats).
- Exactly two or three goals were scored in 7 of Malmö's last 9 matches in this competition.
- Three or more goals were scored in 8 of the last 9 away matches for Malmö in this European competition.
Potential Malmö Lineup (4-4-2)*
Malmö: Melker Ellborg – Johan Karlsson, Gabriel Buzanello, Colin Resler, Pontus Jansson – Kenan Busuladzhic, Hugo Bolin, Adrian Skugmar, Theodor Lundberg – Emmanuel Ekong, Erik Bothheim.
Midfielder Otto Rosengren and defender Jens Larsen are injured. Defender Gabriel Buzanello is suspended.
Referee
Horațiu Feșnic (Romania)
Matches – 13 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow/Red Cards Shown (Including Second Yellows) – 62;
Average Yellow/Red Cards Per Match – 4.8;
Straight Red Cards – 2;
Average Fouls Per Match – 33;
Penalties – 31%.
Genk vs Malmö: Match Prediction
The hosts are already in the playoffs, so they might relax. At the same time there is a possibility to qualify directly for the round of 16, so the home side will most likely try to win this match. However, even without tournament motivation the visitors are unlikely to hand over three points without a fight. We believe that the visitors, if they lose, will do so by only a minimal margin at most.
Genk have poor home form in the Europa League. In their nine previous home matches in this competition the club has recorded just 1 win (3 draws and 5 defeats), and the win was by a one-goal margin. Malmö rarely win away, but in their last 22 away matches in this competition they suffered only 3 defeats by two or more goals.
Prediction: Malmö (+1.5)
* The starting lineup listed for each team is from its previous match in this competition.
