Midtjylland vs Sporting Match Preview

Midtjylland host Sporting Lisbon at the MCH Arena in this UEFA Europa League round of 16 play off, second leg

It was a positive sign for Midtjylland in the first leg in Lisbon, getting a 1-1 draw and now holding a narrow lead in qualifying for the last 16 of the competition. They had a passive role for most of the match, giving possession to the home team and trying to punish them in counterattacks. And they succeeded as they opened the score in the 77th minute, but could not keep it until the final whistle, conceding the equalizer in stoppage time.

In the domestic league, they started impressively after the winter break, beating 4-0 Vyborg last Friday away from home. With this victory, they reached 26 points and after 18 matches being in 4th place in the standings, 10 points away from the first-placed Norzeland.

The result of the first match leaves mixed feelings for Sporting, on the one hand, they were the victim of a mini-surprise not being able to beat Midtjylland but on the other hand, they found the equalizer in stoppage staying close to the qualification.

In the Portuguese league, they are not very happy with their course as after 21 matches they are in 4th place with 41 points, 15 less than the leaders Porto and their realistic goal is now to chase 3rd placed Braga which has 49 points, sitting in a position that gives a spot in the qualifiers of the next UEFA Champions League. Last Monday, they prevailed 3-2 over Rio Ave more easily than the final score indicates.

Midtjylland have made a strong start to their tasks for 2023, after the positive result in Lisbon they achieved a great away win in the domestic league and come into this second leg with high morale. Sporting, for their part, did not win in the first match, but they have the experience and quality to grab an away victory. Both score and concede goals with ease and I also expect something similar in this match. My pick is Over 2.5 goals at odds of even.