Molde have one foot firmly in the Europa League play-offs following their fantastic 3-0 victory in Norway last week but Cercle Brugge have goals in them and will still believe that they can win this tie.
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Cercle Brugge vs Molde prediction: The goals are expected to flow in Brugge
Key Stats
- Four of Cercle's last five outings have produced over 2.5 goals.
- Three goals were scored in the first leg between these two sides.
- Kevin Denkey scored 28 goals across all competitions for Cercle last season.
Correct score prediction: Cercle Brugge 3-2 Molde
Cercle Brugge scored four goals in their last home game against Beerschot but have only managed to keep one clean sheet in their last six attempts, while Molde have scored at least two goals in five of their last six outings.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Cercle the bookmakers' pick
- HOME: 5/4 (2.25) – 44.4%
- DRAW: 29/10 (3.90) – 25.6%
- AWAY: 21/10 (3.10) – 32.3%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Cercle Brugge are the expected winner of this game with a probability of 44.4%, but Molde will be the favourite to progress following that big first-leg victory.
You can find all our predictions for today's games on our football betting tips page.
Most recent H2Hs: Molde lead
The first-ever meeting between Molde and Cercle Brugge last week produced a 3-0 victory for the Norwegian side.
UEFA Europa League Qualifying 08/08/24
Molde
Cercle Brugge
Cercle Brugge preview: A step too far?
Cercle Brugge have left themselves with a mountain to climb this week if they want to make it through to the Europa League play-offs.
The Belgian side lost 3-0 in Molde and it could have been worse had the hosts not missed a penalty in the second half to make it 4-0.
There is some hope for Cercle though as they do have goals in them. Last season's top scorer Kevin Denkey opened his account for the season in a 4-1 win over Beerschot on Sunday.
Predicted lineup: Warleson (GK), Utkus, Popović, Daland, Nazinho, Francis, Agyekum, Denkey, Somers, Augusto & Ouattara
UEFA Conference League 03/10/24
W
St Gallen
2
Cercle Brugge
6
Belgium First Division A 29/09/24
D
Sint-Truidense
1
Cercle Brugge
1
Belgium First Division A 26/09/24
W
Gent
1
Cercle Brugge
2
Belgium First Division A 22/09/24
L
KV Mechelen
2
Cercle Brugge
0
Belgium First Division A 14/09/24
L
Genk
3
Cercle Brugge
2
Molde preview: Expected to qualify
Molde were easily the better team when they hosted Cercle Brugge last week, winning the first leg by three goals to nil.
Kristian Eriksen scored twice in the opening 18 minutes and defender Martain Linnes added a third on the half-hour mark.
There were no further goals in the game but Molde did miss the chance to truly wrap up this tie when Emil Breivik missed an 86th minute penalty.
Predicted lineup: Posiadała (GK), Linnes, Hagelskjær, Øyvann, Lund, Løvik, Eikrem, Møller Dæhli, Eriksen, Kaasa & Breivik
UEFA Conference League 03/10/24
W
Larne FC
0
Molde
3
Norway Eliteserien 28/09/24
W
Tromso
3
Molde
5
Norway Eliteserien 23/09/24
D
KFUM
1
Molde
1
Norway Eliteserien 18/09/24
W
Kristiansund BK
0
Molde
4
Norway Eliteserien 14/09/24
W
Fredrikstad
1
Molde
6
Player to watch – Kevin Denkey
Kevin Denkey was one of the top scorers in Europe last season, scoring 28 goals in 39 games for Cercle Brugge.
Thursday's hosts really need a big performance from their goal machine against Molde and will have been pleased to see the Togo international getting on the scoresheet at the weekend against Beerschot.
Cercle Brugge need a big performance from last season's goal-machine
We're backing Denkey to score and for Cercle Brugge to beat Molde on Thursday but we doubt that it will be via a big enough margin to stop the Norwegian side from progressing into the play-offs.
