Maccabi Tel Aviv vs FK Zorya Luhansk prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-11-24 15:30.
Israeli Premier League leaders Maccabi Tel Aviv displayed no signs of rust in their first game in more than one month a fortnight ago when needing just seven minutes to score in a commanding 3-1 win over Ukraine's Zorya Luhansk in neighbouring Poland. The reverse fixture will be hosted in BaÄŤka Topola, Serbia, which will mean lengthy travel for both teams.
Second-placed Maccabi could move five points clear of third-placed Zorya with another victory, which would almost certainly guarantee their progression beyond the group stage. It was a remarkable effort to defeat an opposition with all the match sharpness of regular football, especially with head coach Robbie Keane based overseas since fleeing Israel at the onset of the conflict.
There was a lot of mutual respect on the pitch as both teams took their national flags out onto the pitch to recognise the wars troubling both nations, but Zorya Luhansk will have to play a lot more ferociously this time around to keep their chances of advancing to the knockouts alive. Manager Valeriy Kryventsov acknowledged the youthfulness of his team, which included eight starters aged 25 or younger, has added to the difficulty of continental competition for his team.
Whether it’s because of the challenges of balancing three competitions at once, or something else, Zorya went into the international break on the back of five consecutive competitive matches without a win (D1, L4), leaving them perilously close to the relegation zone in Ukraine’s Premier League. They conceded the opening goal within the first 25 minutes in all four losses, signalling that another sloppy start could cost them dearly.
Players to watch: After registering a match-best Flashscore rating of 9.8 out of 10 for amassing 13 saves in the reverse fixture, Maccabi’s Orlando Mosquera conceded just one goal across Panama’s two-legged Nations League victory over Costa Rica. Similarly, Zorya’s Danyil Alefirenko followed up his goal in that previous H2H with another in their most recent league fixture. Five of his last six goals for any club have arrived after half-time, so he’ll be hoping to make an earlier impact.
Hot stat: Maccabi Tel Aviv scored 3+ goals in all but one of their last eight victories in all competitions.