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Istanbul Basaksehir host Maccabi Netanya at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday for the first leg of the 2022-23 Europa Conference League second qualifying round.
The Grey Owls were last seen in Europe during the 2020-21 Champions League group stages and are aiming to make a return.
Emre Belözoğlu's side could only secure a fourth-place finish in the Turkish Super Lig last season and put themselves in contention for a place in the Conference League.
Netanya are fresh off beating Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 2022-23 Toto Cup Al, winning 5-4 on penalties after the match ended in a goalless stalemate.
Shay Konstantini even saw red in the 84th minute for the Diamonds, who held firm for the remainder of the match to force a shootout.
They've never played in a major European tournament before, always losing out in these qualifying rounds, twice in the UEFA Cup and twice in the Europa League.
Their last such appearance came in 2012-13 when Netanya lost on away goals to Finnish side KuPS after a 2-2 aggregate draw in the second qualifying round of the Europa League.
Exactly a decade later, the Israeli side has another shot at making history.
Istanbul Basaksehir vs Maccabi Netanya Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the first official clash between Basaksehir and Netanya.
- Netanya played just one friendly before last week's Toto Cup game and it ended in a 1-0 victory for them.
- Basaksehir have played four games this month, winning three. They scored eight goals and didn't concede any.
- In 10 European qualifying matches, Netanya have failed to score in five.
- Basaksehir have lost seven of their last 10 matches in Europe.
Istanbul Basaksehir vs Maccabi Netanya Predictions
Basaksehir are the more experienced side in this encounter and have the quality to hurt their Israeli counterparts.
Netanya have never played in a major European tournament before, which says a lot about their stature.
Their recent performance against Tel Aviv will definitely be a huge confidence boost for them and they could give their hosts a tough run for their money.
However, we predict a win for the Istanbul outfit.
Prediction: Istanbul Basaksehir 2-1 Maccabi Netanya
$1,000 Risk-Free Bet at FanDuel SB
Istanbul Basaksehir vs Maccabi Netanya Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Istanbul Basaksehir
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes
