Our prediction for this Europa Conference League match:
Ljudski vrt will be the centre of attention when Maribor and Universitatea Craiova square off against each other in the Europa Conference League second qualifying round, first leg. The Violets failed to eliminate Botev Plovdiv in the Europa League qualifiers, but they did well to crush Domzale 4-1 in their Prva Liga opener. A man to watch in the home team will be forward Arnel Jakupovic, who produced a brilliant display against Domzale, scoring a brace and adding an assist.
The Romanian outfit, on the other hand, looked sharp in front of goal in a 4-2 win over UTA Arad, which is probably the main reason why we are going to bet on both teams to score this time out. All eyes will be on Cuba winger Luis Paradela, speaking of the visiting side. The 27-year-old footballer joined the club from Saprissa earlier this summer.
Highlighted Team (Maribor):
Founded in December 1960, Maribor are the most successful Slovenian club. The Violets won their 14th SNL trophy in 2017, with the team finishing the season 13 points clear of second-placed Gorica. Maribor are the only Slovenian club which made it to the UEFA Champions League group stages (2013/2014), but the likes of Chelsea, Schalke and Sporting Lisbon proved to be a big catch for the Slovenian champions.
The Violets collected only three points from possible 18 in the process and four years later they repeated the success, with the team eliminating Hapoel Be’er Sheva in the Champions League play-offs. Maribor will face the likes of Spartak Moscow, Sevilla and Liverpool in Group E. Speaking of the club’s main rivals, there have always been fireworks in clashes between Maribor and Olimpija Ljubljana.
The two teams face each other in the “Eternal derby” (Vecni derbi) and they represent the two biggest cities in Slovenia. Maribor are well known for their violet for their violet shirts with yellow stripes. Ljudski vrt is the club’s home ground.