Cercle Brugge vs Molde prediction 15.08.2024 | Europa League

• Competition: Europa League Qualifiers, 3rd Round, 2nd Leg
• Date: Thursday, 15th August, 2024
• Kickoff: 19:00 UK / 20:00 CEST
• Venue: Jan Breydel Stadion (Brugge)

After winning against Cercle Brugge 3:0 in the first leg of Europe League 3rd Qualifying Round in Norway, Molde will need only to finish the job in the second leg at Jan Breydel Stadion Brugge.

Last season was one of Cercle Burgge's best in the 21st century, as they finished fourth in the Jupiler Pro League, only behind Club Brugge, Royale Union SG, and Anderlecht. However, it seems they overachieved and are now struggling both in the European Qualifiers and the domestic league as well. They are a team that rarely played in European Qualifiers, and this year's appearance is only their fourth ever. The Belgian team has never gone past the third round, and they will have a massive challenge in securing the Playoff Round this year. The bookies do not trust them, offering odds of around 10 for their advancement.

Molde were either Norway's best or second-best team between 2017 and 2022. However, last season was a massive disappointment in Eliteserien, as they finished 5th - 19 points from the top spot. However, they impressed in the Cup competitions, securing the domestic cup title and reaching the Conference League 1/8 Finals, where Club Brugge eventually won 4:2 on aggregate. This year, Molde are once again underachieving in the domestic league as they are in fourth place with 31 points - ten away from the top spot. Still, 2nd place, which leads to Champions League Qualifiers, is only two points away, which is surely their goal for this year.

Cercle Brugge vs Molde pick: Over 2.5 goals

Lately, Cercle Brugge have played only high-scoring games and was over 2.5 goals in the last three matches in all competitions. Between the two games against Molde, Cercle Brugge played their best game of the season, beating Beerschot VA 4:1 at home. That will surely lift the team's morale and they will probably try to go all in from the start of the match. If they score an early goal, anything can happen and we could easily see an exciting game with a lot of goals.

Molde are the second-best team in Eliteserien for this type of bet, with 67% of their games ending with at least three goals (12 of 18). Additionally, in Europe, they were over 2.5 goals in all three games so far with an average of four goals per game. If we look at their European games last year, we can see a similar pattern of high-scoring games. In 14 games last season, we saw three or more goals in 12 of them.

Considering all the above, an over 2.5 goals bet should be the safest option for the upcoming game between Cercle Brugge and Molde.