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Gent will invite Maccabi Haifa to the Ghelamco Arena in the second leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League knockout round playoffs on Wednesday.
The two teams met in the first leg in Hungary last week, and Frantzdy Pierrot's second-half strike, assisted by Suf Podgoreanu, helped Maccabi register a 1-0 win.
The hosts bounced back from that loss with a 2-0 away triumph over Eupen in the Belgian Pro League. It was their first win of the month, after suffering four consecutive defeats.
The visitors met local rivals Hapoel Haifa in the Israeli Premier League on Sunday, playing out a 1-1 draw. Lior Refaelov missed from the penalty spot in the ninth minute but Gadi Kinda scored six minutes later to give Haifa an early lead. Tomer Yosefi equalized for Hapoel in the second half.
Both teams played in the inaugural edition of the Conference League in the 2021-22 season. Gent made it to the round of 16 while the visitors were eliminated from the group stage.
The hosts were eliminated from the quarterfinals of the Conference League last season by eventual winners West Ham United.
Gent vs Maccabi Haifa Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams met for the first time last week, with Haifa registering a 1-0 win.
- The hosts have registered just one win in 2024, suffering six losses in eight games.
- Maccabi Haifa have suffered just two losses in 14 games in 2024 thus far, with both coming in away games.
- Gent are winless in their last four home games across all competitions, suffering three defeats.
- The hosts had the second-best attacking record in the group stage of the Conference League, scoring 16 goals, with 11 of them coming in three home games.
- Including qualifiers, the visitors have just one win in their six away games in the Conference League, suffering four losses.
Gent vs Maccabi Haifa Prediction
De Buffalo's registered their first win of the year on Sunday, defeating Eupen 2-0 in their away game. They also kept their first clean sheets of the year in that match and will look to build on that form. Including qualifiers, they are unbeaten in their last 10 home games in the Europa Conference League, recording eight wins and keeping six clean sheets.
The Greens head into the match on a four-game unbeaten run, keeping three clean sheets. They failed to score in four of their six group-stage matches in the UEFA Europa League earlier this season and will look to improve upon that record.
They have won two of their three European meetings against Belgian teams, with their only loss coming in their away meeting against Genk in the 2011-12 UEFA Champions League qualifiers.
Gent have an impressive home record in the Conference League and will look to overturn the one-goal deficit from the first leg. Nonetheless, their current poor form is cause for concern.
The visitors have suffered just two losses in all competitions since November, with one of them coming in a penalty shootout. As they have a narrow lead on aggregate, they will look to sit back and defend that lead.
With that in mind and considering the current goalscoring form of the two teams, a draw is likely to ensue.
Prediction: Gent 1-1 Maccabi Haifa
Gent vs Maccabi Haifa Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Tarik Tissoudali to score or assist any time - Yes
