Brann will be looking to take inspiration from fellow Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt as they prepare to welcome Midtjylland for a crucial Europa League fixture this Thursday night.
Can the hosts give themselves a realistic shot at making the knockout phase, or will the visitors continue their impressive run of results in Europe? Read our Brann vs Midtjylland prediction and preview to find out, but don’t forget to also check out our other Europa League predictions here.
Contents
- 1 Brann vs Midtjylland prediction: Goal-hungry visitors can cause problems
- 2 Pre-game odds and win probability: Visitors slight favourites
- 3 Most recent H2Hs: Midtjylland fancy their chances in Norway
- 4 Brann preview: Hosts dealing with squad issues
- 5 Midtjylland preview: Visitors hit with some bad luck
- 6 Player to watch: Aral Simsir
Brann vs Midtjylland prediction: Goal-hungry visitors can cause problems
Key Stats
- Brann have conceded first in each of their last four matches
- Brann have kept two clean sheets in two of their three home Europa League games.
- Midtjylland scored two or more goals in seven of their last eight European away matches
- No club in the Europa League this season has scored more goals than Midtjylland during the league phase (13).
Correct score prediction: Brann 1-2 Midtjylland
Brann will take a lot of inspiration from Bodo/Glimt, who made history on Tuesday night after smashing Manchester City on home soil.
In order to make the knockout phase of the Europa League, Brann need to win their next two games – that also means they will need to overcome their goalscoring problems.
The Scandinavian outfit have only managed to rattle the net six times in Europe this season, while their Danish rivals have more than doubled that number during the league phase.
Midtjylland did lose three of their last four away games before the winter break, though they will still fancy their chances against a weaker (on paper) opponent.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Visitors slight favourites
HOME: 2/1 (3.00) – 33.33%
DRAW: 27/10 (3.70) – 27.00%
AWAY: 6/5 (2.20) – 45.50%
*Odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Looking at those Brann vs Midtjylland odds, the bookmakers are backing the visitors to take all three points.
If you liked our predictions for this game, remember to also check our betting tips for today.
Most recent H2Hs: Midtjylland fancy their chances in Norway
Thursday’s match will mark the first competitive fixture between Brann and Midtjylland – also the first time that Brann are competing against a Danish club on the European stage.
When it comes to Midtjylland, they have already tasted success in Norway this season. The club picked up a 5-1 aggregate victory over Fredrikstad in the third qualifying round of the Europa League.
Brann preview: Hosts dealing with squad issues
It’s fair to say that Brann’s goalscoring problems are partly due to missing their key forward Saevar Magnusson, who has been out of action for over three months with a knee injury.
To make matters worse, the Norwegian side are also missing Niklas Castro, Sakarias Opsahl and Jonas Torsvik.
The January transfer market has not been kind to Brann either, with 20-year-old defender Eivind Helland joining Bologna for a club-record fee last week.
Predicted lineup: Dyngeland (GK), De Roeve, Knudsen, Boakye, Dragsnes, Kornvig, Sorensen, Pedersen, Haaland, Mathisen & Holm
Last five matches
- SK Brann 0-4 Fenerbahçe SK (UEFA Europa League)
- SK Brann 3-1 Hamarkameratene (Eliteserien)
- PAOK FC 1-1 SK Brann (UEFA Europa League)
- Molde FK 4-0 SK Brann (Eliteserien)
- SK Brann 1-1 KFUM Oslo (Eliteserien)
Midtjylland preview: Visitors hit with some bad luck
Midjylland received some bad news last December after learning that forward Franculino needed to undergo surgery for a knee injury – an operation that will keep him out of action until at least March.
The Danish side tried to fix the issue by drafting Ola Brynhildsen back from his loan, though he also picked up an injury and is unlikely to feature on Thursday.
To make matters worse, defender Adam Gabriel remains on the sidelines as he continues to recover from his surgery on a foot injury.
Predicted lineup: Lossl (GK), Lee, Erlic, Bech Sorensen, Mbabu, Billing, Castillo, Bak, Cho, Osorio & Gogorza
Last five matches
- FC Midtjylland 1-0 KRC Genk (UEFA Europa League)
- Viborg FF 3-3 FC Midtjylland (Danish Superliga)
- FC Midtjylland 6-0 FC Nordsjælland (Danish Superliga)
- AS Roma 2-1 FC Midtjylland (UEFA Europa League)
- Sønderjyske Fodbold 2-1 FC Midtjylland (Danish Superliga)
Player to watch: Aral Simsir
Only one player has produced more Europa League assists than Aral Simsir’s tally of three, while he has also netted two European goals this season.
The forward has 22 goal contributions across all competitions this season, and is absolutely flying. We are backing him to cause more problems for Brann's defence this Thursday night.