Maccabi Haifa take on Villarreal at the AEK Arena on Thursday for the UEFA Europa League group stage.
The two teams were scheduled to meet last month, but the match at the Estadio de la Cerámica was postponed due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. UEFA has decided that all home matches for Israeli teams will be played at neutral venues.
The hosts have started their campaign without a win and are bottom of the Group F standings. They last played an official game almost a month ago against Panathinaikos in the Europa League, which ended in a goalless draw.
The visitors are in third place in the group standings, with one win and one loss in their two games so far. In their previous outing in the Europa League, they won 1-0 against Rennes thanks to Alexander Sørloth’s first-half strike.
They slumped to a 3-2 home defeat to Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Sunday. They conceded three times in the first 30 minutes of the match. Goals from Gerard Moreno and Sørloth in the 86th and 87th minutes respectively inspired hopes of a late comeback, but they were unable to find the equaliser.
Maccabi Haifa vs Villarreal Head-to-Head and key numbers
- The two teams will meet for the first time but both the hosts and the visitors have previously met teams from Spain and Israel respectively.
- The hosts are winless in their four European encounters against Spanish sides, with two defeats and two draws.
- The visitors have suffered just one defeat in their six encounters with Israeli teams. He has two wins in this period while three games have ended in a draw.
- Maccabi Haifa are unbeaten in their last three outings, although two matches ended in draws.
- The visitors have lost just one of their last four games in all competitions.
Maccabi Haifa vs Villarreal Prediction
The Greens have struggled to reach the Europa League this season and are the only team yet to open their scoring account in the competition. Interestingly, they have not scored in their four encounters with Spanish teams in European competitions.
Head coach Messay Dego will be hoping his side perform well after a month-long break. They are playing at a neutral venue, so they won’t be able to count on home advantage in this match.
El Submarino Amarillo has an unbeaten record in away meetings with Israeli teams and will look to keep that streak intact. They are unbeaten in their last four away games in all competitions, keeping two clean sheets.
Considering the visitors’ record against Israeli teams and the hosts’ struggles to score in the competition, we back the Spanish side to pick up a narrow win and the chances of a clean sheet are also good.
Prophecy: Maccabi Haifa 0-1 Villarreal
Maccabi Haifa vs Villarreal Betting tips
Tip 1: Result – Villarreal Win
Tip 2: Goals – Over/Under 2.5 Goals – Under 2.5 Goals
Tip 3: Villarreal to keep a clean sheet – Yes
Tip 4: Alexander Sørloth to score or assist anytime – Yes