Preview: Molde vs. Hacken - prediction, team news, lineups

The two Scandinavian sides are rooted on zero points in Group H, having lost both of their opening games in the competition.

Match preview

Molde are sitting above their forthcoming opponents on goal difference, having only lost by one goal to Qarabag FK and Bayer Leverkusen, but their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages surely rely on defeating Hacken on home soil.

Having lifted the Norwegian Eliteserien title for the fifth time in the club's history last season, Erling Moe's side would have had high hopes regarding their European prospects, but they were denied the opportunity to feature in the Champions League group stage for the first time in 24 years by losing to Galatasaray at the final play-off stage.

Molde reached the last-16 of the Europa League only three years ago, defeating Hoffenheim in the first knockout round before losing 3-2 on aggregate to Granada, so it is a little surprising to see them struggling this time around. However, Azerbaijan is always a tough place to travel for any team, while Leverkusen are one of the in-form teams in Europe at present.

Molde's title defence has not exactly gone to plan so far this season, with Moe's side sitting in fifth position after 25 games. They are seven points behind fourth-placed Tromso and five points ahead of sixth-placed Lillestrom, so with only five games of their domestic campaign remaining, they appear likely to finish in their current position.

That would mean no European football for them for the first time since the 2017-18 season, placing Moe and his players under significant pressure to make the most of their current Europa League journey.

Hacken, on the other hand, are competing in the group stage of any European competition for the first time in the club's history after winning their maiden domestic title last season.

Indeed, former Norway manager Per-Mathias Hogmo has already cemented his status as a legend at the club after romping to the Swedish Allsvenskan tile by seven points in the end, although they appear unlikely to retain their title with IF Elfsborg six points clear of them at the summit with only three games remaining.

However, this Gothenburg-based side are a team of fighters, and they will not give up until the situation is mathematically impossible. The same will apply to their Europa League campaign, even if their 1-0 defeat at home to Qarabag last time out was a bitter pill to swallow.

As such, they will be relishing making amends when they make the short trip across the border to face Molde on Thursday, especially with third-placed teams in Europa League groups dropping down to the Europa Conference League. While they will not be thinking about that just yet, Hogmo clearly has plenty of ways to motivate his players along this refreshing experience for them.

Molde Europa League form:

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Molde form (all competitions):

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D

W

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L

Hacken Europa League form:

W

W

D

W

L

L

Hacken form (all competitions):

L

L

W

L

D

W

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Team News

Molde will remain without Jacob Karlstrom and Martin Linnes, who are both out for the season with foot and ankle injuries respectively.

Erling Knudtzon and Veton Berisha are also both doubts due to concussion and a muscle strain respectively, with Moe likely weighing up making some changes given that his side have suffered three consecutive defeats in all competitions.

Hacken, meanwhile, are likely to travel without Ali Youssef, Valgeir Fridriksson and Filip Trpcevski due to injury problems.

Hogmo may consider rewarding the same group of players that defeated IFK Norrkoping 4-2 at the weekend with another start on Thursday, with Momodou Sonko almost certain to be among the visitors' offensive unit after scoring a hat-trick in that victory.

Molde possible starting lineup:

Petersen; Eriksen, Bjornbak, Lovik, Hagelskjaer; Breivik, Oyvann, Ellingsen, Grodem; Eikrem, Gulbrandsen

Hacken possible starting lineup:

Abrahamsson; Sandberg, Hammar, Ousou, Totland; Rygaard, Sa Gustafson, Si Gustafson; Layouni, Chilufya, Sonko

We say: Molde 1-2 Hacken

This is a crucial match for both of these sides, having both lost their opening two matches in Group H. With Leverkusen likely to run away with the group, they need to start making up ground on Qarabag sooner rather than later.

As such, a draw is of little use to either side, so we expect to see an entertaining game play out in Norway. The visitors arrive in better form than Molde, so we can envisage Hacken claiming their first ever win in a European group stage game.

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