Our prediction for this Europa Conference League match:
Maccabi Tel Aviv play host to Petrocub at their Bloomfield Stadium in the Conference League second qualifying round, first leg. Maccabi Tel Aviv rolled over Hapoel Beer Sheva 6-1 in the Israeli Super Cup and it is no surprise the odds for home win have been dropping. A man to watch in the home team will be former PSV man Eran Zahavi, who scored a hat-trick at the weekend.
Ivan Tabonov’s charges, on the other hand, defeated Zimbru in their last friendly match, but seeing that over the years Maccabi Tel Aviv have turned their Bloomfield Stadium into a real fortress, anything but a routine home triumph would be a big surprise. Vladimir Ambos is probably the most notable player in the away team. It has to be noted that the two clubs meet for the first time ever in European competitions.
Highlighted Team (Maccabi Tel Aviv):
Maccabi Tel Aviv are the oldest and probably the biggest clubs in Israel. The club was founded in 1906 and they have been playing an important role in the Israeli League ever since. In 2015 Maccabi won their 21st trophy in the national championship and the same season they clinched their 23rd Israeli Cup title.
The club’s fiercest rivals are Hapoel Tel-Aviv and they welcome their opponents at Netanya Stadium. The capacity of the venue is 13 610. The likes of Beitar Jerusalem Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Maccabi Haifa are considered Maccabi Tel Aviv’s bitter rivals as well. In 1969 the club won the AFC Champions League and they repeated the success two years later, beating Aliyat Al-Shorta in the final.
The likes of Jordi Cruyff, Paulo Sousa, Rade Prica, Moanes Dabour and Vincent Enyeama are the high-profile footballers who were part of the team in the past. The colour of Maccabi’s home kit is yellow and blue.