Following an enthralling and bad-tempered first leg, Vikingur Reykjavik and Malmo reconvene for the second leg of their Champions League first-round qualifying tie at Vikingsvollur on Tuesday night.
The Swedish visitors edged a closely-fought contest 3-2 in the first leg, but the Icelandic champions are still very much in with a chance of a surprise result.
Match preview
Vikingur had already demonstrated a penchant for finding the back of the net in the preliminary rounds of the Champions League, and such a hot streak served them very well in their five-goal thriller with Malmo last week.
No fewer than eight yellow cards and one red card were dished out by referee Dumitru Muntean, who ejected Vikingur attacker Kristall Mani Ingason from the field of play in the first half, but the Icelandic giants still struck through the now-suspended attacker and Helgi Gudjonsson.
In a comical turn of events, Norwich City-linked Ingason - who had already been booked before his goal - received a second yellow straight after putting the ball into the back of the net for gesturing to the Malmo fans by putting a finger on his lips.
Nevertheless, Arnar Gunnlaugsson's side performed valiantly against much more revered opposition last week and also ran out 3-2 winners in a league clash with IA at the weekend, which has set them up well for trying to reach the second round of Champions League qualifying for the very first time.
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Malmo certainly would not have underestimated their Nordic counterparts before last week's enthralling showdown, but the Swedish champions' own clinical nature was evident through strikes from Martin Olsson, Ola Toivonen and Veljko Birmancevic.
Milos Milojevic's side are already playing catch-up when it comes to defending their Allsvenskan title but have made great strides in recovering their position on the podium in recent weeks, and Varberg were no match for the third-placed champions in a 3-0 weekend romping.
Malmo have never been eliminated from the first round of Champions League qualifying and made it all the way to the group stage in 2021-22, although they did lose the second leg of their playoff tie with Ludogorets after prevailing in the first.
Nevertheless, with at least two goals to boast from four of their last five competitive matches in all tournaments, attack could once again be the best form of defence for Malmo, who would be rewarded with a second-round tie against Zalgiris or Ballkani should they see off their beleaguered Icelandic hosts.
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Team News
Vikingur starlet Ingason will be forced to watch the second leg from the naughty step after his sending off and subsequent suspension, so Gudjonsson could be rewarded with a start here after his late goal at the Eleda Stadion.
American centre-back Kyle McLagan was surprisingly deemed fit enough for a spot on the bench in the first leg last week, despite breaking a bone in his shoulder during a league match earlier this summer.
Gunnlaugsson unsuccessfully tried to persuade former Aberdeen centre-back Kari Arnason to come out of retirement and cover for the injured McLagan, but Arnor Borg Gudjohnsen has seemingly recovered from ankle surgery.
As for the visitors, Milovejic has no suspension concerns to factor in for this contest, but Erdal Rakip sustained a knock in the weekend's victory over Varberg and has now emerged as a doubt for the second leg alongside Dennis Hadzikadunic.
Hadzikadunic is thought to have a strong chance of featuring on Tuesday, which would certainly be useful for the visitors following Anel Ahmedhodzic's move to Sheffield United, but Soren Rieks, Oscar Lewicki and Adi Nalic are all sidelined.
Milojevic has no reason to risk midfielder Rakip if the 26-year-old is not 100% fit, as Anders Christiansen came off the bench to good effect with his side's second goal at the weekend.
Vikingur Reykjavik possible starting lineup:
Ingason; Gunnarsson, Sigurdsson, Ekroth, Tomasson; Punyed, Magnusson; Agnarsson, Gudjonsson, Andrason; Hansen
Malmo possible starting lineup:
Dahlin; Nielsen, Hadzikadunic, Moisander; Berget, Christiansen, Pena, Larsson, Olsson; Toivonen, Birmancevic
We say: Vikingur Reykjavik 1-2 Malmo (Malmo win 5-3 on aggregate)
Malmo would have been frustrated not to make their extra man count for more in the first leg, but a fit-again and in-form Christiansen wearing the armband is a recipe for success for the visitors.
The Allsvenskan champions can expect a hostile atmosphere at Vikingsvollur, but their recent spate of goal-laden showings can help them end the Vikingur dream, even if the Icelandic hosts can make things interesting with a goal on home soil.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
