Chelsea sits in second in their group after the first three Champions League group stage games, three points behind Juventus. After a 4-0 home win two weeks back, Chelsea now heads to Sweden for the second game in the back-to-back series. Groundhopper Soccer Guides introduces you to their opponent, Malmö of Sweden’s Allsvenskan.

Malmö wearing their home kits. (Image: Denis Rudenko, CC BY-SA 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Introduction to Malmö Fotbollförening

Malmö have raised the most team trophies in Sweden, having won a record 21 Swedish league championships and another 14 national cups. The Blue Ones are the only Nordic club to have reached a Champions League final, finishing as the runner-up in 1979 to Nottingham Forest in what was then known as the European Cup.

Malmö’s History

Formed in 1910, the club did not win its first league title until 1944, but enjoyed unparalleled success in the 1970s, winning five Swedish titles. They have won five of the last eight league titles.

After playing in the Europa League each of the past three seasons, Malmö are in the Champions League for the first time since 2018-19 and have reached group stage action for the first time since 2014-15.

A famous Malmö player of note is Zlatan Ibrahimović, who began his professional career with the club, making 40 appearances and scoring 16 goals from 1999-2001 before transferring to Ajax.

Malmö’s Stadium, Eleda Stadion

Plans for constructing the stadium started in 2001, but were not finalized until 2004. The stadium finally opened in 2007. It currently has a seating capacity of 22,500, and has hosted some of Sweden’s World Cup qualifiers over recent years.

The home stands at Eleda Stadion. (Image: Arniiiwebmovie, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

The City of Malmö, Sweden

Located in the southwest corner of the country, Malmö is the third-largest city in Sweden behind Stockholm and Gothenburg, with a metropolitan population of over 700,000 people.

The city was one of the earliest and more industrialized towns in Scandinavia, and since 2000 has undergone a major transformation in supporting new biotech and IT companies. It is also known for architectural developments like the Turning Torso, a neo-futurist residential skyscraper.

The climate is not what you would think of Sweden in the winter, as temperatures remain above freezing and prolonged snow cover is pretty rare.

The Möllevångstorget market in Malmö. (Image: Jorchr, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

2021-2022 Champions League Schedule

Group H – Malmö, Chelsea, Juventus (Italy), Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia)

Here are the matchups between Malmö and Chelsea:

• October 20 – at Chelsea – Chelsea won 4-0
• November 2 – at Malmö – Chelsea won 1-0

Have a look at the complete 2021-22 Champions League schedule and get to know the Premier League clubs in the Champions League.

How to Watch Champions League Games in the U.S.

We have a separate post about how to watch all the Champions League fixtures on TV in the U.S., but your best resource is Paramount+. fuboTV also offers live streaming for a huge number of games around the world.

Watch soccer, including the Champions League, on Paramount+