Slovan Bratislava (Svk) vs Maccabi Haifa (Isr) prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-08-08 18:30.
This is the furthest Slovan Bratislava have gone in UEFA Champions League (UCL) qualifying since 2014/15, yet, making it to the competition proper in its current format has proved elusive. A 1-0 win at Bosnian outfit Zrinjski Mostar in the second round first leg was followed up with a 2-2 draw at home to seal their aggregate win. They then coincidentally played out another 2-2 home draw this past weekend back in domestic action, meaning each of their last three competitive matches have ended all square.
Four of the Slovakian champions’ six competitive matches this season have actually ended in draws (W2), so it’s fair to say they’ve yet to find their stride so far. No home UCL win in their last five attempts (D4, L1) also suggests that grabbing a crucial first-leg success here could prove a tall order.
Maccabi Haifa boast a much stronger European pedigree. They were the first Israeli side to qualify for the Champions League group stage, the first to do so twice and the only one to have done so three times. The most recent of those occasions was last season as the Greens finished bottom of a hugely competitive Group H which also included Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica. They'll be bidding to qualify for a fourth time this campaign, but did need extra time to see off Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol, with two late goals sealing a 4-2 aggregate win last week.
The first leg of that game ended in a 1-0 defeat for Maccabi, a result that extended their record to just two wins in 15 away matches (D2, L11) in this competition. However, they will start this contest having won two of their last three competitive away games by four goal margins, boosting belief they could maybe even wrap this tie up in the first-leg.
Players to watch: Midfielder Vladimir Weiss has scored three times in the UCL already in 2023/24, but will be a big miss here after picking up three competition yellows. Therefore, Slovan eyes might be on Aleksandar Čavrić after he netted crucially in the second leg against Zrinjski Mostar and bagged 15 league goals last term. For Maccabi, Din David should be pushing for a start after his UCL goal against Sheriff from the bench made it three competitive goals in four matches for him.
Hot stat: Only one of Maccabi’s last six UCL away qualifiers has seen both teams score.