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Maccabi Haifa clash with Villarreal at the ΑΕΚ Arena in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.
The two teams were set to meet last month but the match at Estadio de la Cerámica was postponed due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. UEFA has decided that all home games for Israeli teams will be played at neutral venues.
The hosts have endured a winless start to their campaign and are at the bottom of the Group F standings. They last played an official game almost a month ago against Panathinaikos in the Europa League, with that encounter ending in a goalless draw.
The visitors are in third place in the group table, with one win and one loss in their two games thus far. In their previous outing in the Europa League, they eked out a narrow 1-0 win over Rennes thanks to Alexander Sørloth's first-half strike.
Villarreal fell to a 3-2 home loss against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Sunday. They conceded thrice in the first 30 minutes of the game. Goals from Gerard Moreno and Sørloth in the 86th and 87th minutes respectively inspired hope of a late comeback, but they failed to score the equalizing goal.
Maccabi Haifa vs Villarreal Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams will meet for the first time but both sides have met teams from Spain and Israel, respectively, before.
- The hosts are winless in their four European meetings against Spanish teams, suffering two defeats and drawing two games.
- The visitors have suffered just one defeat in their six meetings against Israeli teams. They have two wins in that period while three games have ended in draws.
- Maccabi Haifa are unbeaten in their last three outings, though two games have ended in draws.
- Villarreal have lost just one of their last four games in all competitions.
Maccabi Haifa vs Villarreal Prediction
The Greens have struggled to get going in the Europa League this season and are the only team yet to open their goalscoring account in the competition. Interestingly, they have failed to score in their four meetings against Spanish teams in European competitions.
Head coach Messay Dego will hope that his team perform well following a month-long hiatus. They are playing at a neutral venue, so they won't be able to count on home advantage in this match.
El Submarino Amarillo have an unbeaten record in away meetings against Israeli teams and will look to keep that run intact. They are unbeaten in their last four away games in all competitions, keeping two clean sheets.
Considering the visitors' record against Israeli teams and the hosts' goalscoring struggles in the competition, we back the Spanish side to eke out a narrow win while the odds of a clean sheet also look good.
Prediction: Maccabi Haifa 0-1 Villarreal
Maccabi Haifa vs Villarreal Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Villarreal to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Villarreal to keep a clean sheet - Yes
Tip 4: Alexander Sørloth to score or assist any time - Yes
