So who exactly are Malmo?

Malmo FF have been paired with last season’s League of Ireland Premier Division runners up Drogheda United in the Europa League but what do we know about them?

Where do they play?

They play in the city of Malmo which is the third largest in Sweden after Stockholm and Gothenburg and is the capital of Skane County. Upon last count, its population was recorded to have been 664,000 which is five times the size of Louth let alone the city of Drogheda. Their Swedbank Stadion is also much larger than the Drogs’ Hunky Dorys Park with a capacity of 24,000 and was opened very recently in 2009 when they beat Orgryte IS 3-0.

What is their history?

The club were founded in 1905 as part of an initiative to encourage the young people of the city to become more involved in the sport of football but spent their first 10 years in local and regional divisions as there was no national league for them to join. They have won the Allsvenskan title 19 times including five-in-a-row under Roy Hodgson in the 1980s, most recently capturing the championship in 2010. The Blues are also 14-times Svenska Cupen winners and have done the double eight times in their history.

What is their European record?

Not bad at all. Famously, the 1978 league runners up went all the way to the final of the European Cup in 1979 where they came up against Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest at the Olympic Stadium in Munich and succumbed to a Trevor Francis goal but it remains one of their biggest achievements. They have competed in almost every continental competition to date but of the two that still exist, they have played 45 Champions League games (winning and losing 16 and drawing 13) and 44 times in the Europa League with 16 wins in that tournament under their belts too.

Have they played Irish opposition before?

Malmo are also no strangers to visiting the Wee County on business, having taken on Dundalk in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup, winning 2-0 in both legs. In the 2004/05 qualifying rounds of that same competition, they met Portadown and won 2-0 on Irish soil once more after a comfortable 4-0 victory in Sweden. However, they have not had it all their own way in European competition against Irish opposition. In the first round of the 2004 Intertoto Cup they met Cork City and were soundly beaten 4-1 on aggregate. Liam Kearney got the winner away in the second leg after the Leesiders had won 3-1 at home through goals from John O’Flynn and a Dan Murray double.

Who are the dangermen for Malmo?

Their 22-year-old captain Jiloan Hamad who is a tricky midfielder capable of opening up defences at will with his running and passing is one of the names to keep an eye on and he is in fine form this season for Malmo having hit four goals from his midfield position in just 13 appearances.

It is a very young squad that manager Rikard Norling has at his disposal although he can rely on one experienced fan favourite in Brazilian defender Ricardinho and has played for them in their recent Champions League and Europa League runs after joining in 2009. He is one of the first names on the teamsheet when fully fit and was an ever-present in the 2011 campaign.

In attack, South African forward Tokelo Rantie is the man to look out for having hit six goals for Malmo this season in 11 starts and has also managed two in his last three games and the 22-year-old will be out to impress in European competition.

What kind of form are Malmo in?

Malmo will undoubtedly be happy with their current league position as they look to claim their first title in three years and although they sit in fourth place in the ongoing Allsvenskan, they are just two points off table-topping IFK Goteborg. They fell to a surprise 3-1 loss last time out at home to Hacken on Thursday night but won their previous three before that following a 1-1 draw with Helsingborgs including two victories on the road.