Our prediction for this Europa Conference League match:
A spot in the Conference League second qualifying round will be at stake when Birkirkara and Maribor square off against each other at Centenary Stadium on Thursday afternoon. Birkirkara did remarkably well to hold Maribor to a 1-1 draw in Slovenia, but the bookies still see the Maltese as underdogs in this tie. Denis Ribeiro limped off with injury in the first leg, with Kurt Zammit likely to step up, while head coach Giovanni Tedesco will be watching the game from the stands due to suspension.
The Violets, on the other hand, failed to impress in the first leg and, as a result, they face a difficult task in Thursday’s encounter. Since Maribor experienced forward El Arbi Soudani should miss out with injury, we believe that punters from all around the globe can find value in betting on draw. Marko Kolar is widely expected to replace him in the starting XI.