Maccabi Haifa will welcome Apollon to the Samer Ofer Stadium in the first leg of third-round qualifying for the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.The home team secured a 5-1 win over Olympiacos in their previous round of fixtures as they took one more step towards qualifying for the group stage for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign.Apollon finished first in the Cypriot First Division last season, which helped them secure a direct place in the third round of the qualifying phase of the competition. They have never qualified for the Champions League and are taking part in the qualifying phase of the competition for the first time since the 2006-07 season.UEFA Champions League@ChampionsLeagueThird qualifying round set Games on 2/3 & 9 August Play-offs: 16/17 & 23/24 August#UCL2940273Third qualifying round set ✅👉 Games on 2/3 & 9 August🔜 Play-offs: 16/17 & 23/24 August#UCL https://t.co/F2Ir5Ecm5qMaccabi Haifa vs Apollon Head-to-HeadThe two sides will be meeting for the first time across all competitions on Wednesday.Maccabi Haifa form guide (all competitions): W-D-L-L-LApollon form guide (all competitions): L-D-LMaccabi Haifa vs Apollon Team NewsMaccabi HaifaBen Sahar and Raz Meir are out injured at the moment and have not been included in the squad for the third-round fixtures. Mahmoud Jaber, who missed out on the previous round of fixtures, has been named in the squad this time around but might have to wait until the second leg to make an appearance here.Maccabi Haifa FC@mhfootballclubFULL HOUSE 🏟#יאללהמכבי43110FULL HOUSE 🏟⚡️#יאללהמכבי https://t.co/ZJTIhTlkTsInjured: Ben Sahar, Raz MeirSuspended: NoneDoubtful: NoneUnavailable: NoneApollon Ilian Iliev picked up a serious injury in training last month and has been left out of the squad for the third-round qualifiers. Giorgos Malekkidis also finds himself sidelined with an injury and will play no part in this fixture.Injured: Giorgos Malekkidis, Ilian IlievSuspended: NoneDoubtful: NoneUnavailable: NoneMaccabi Haifa vs Apollon Predicted XIsMaccabi Haifa (4-3-3): Josh Cohen (GK); Daniel Sundgren, Bogdan Planić, Sean Goldberg, Pierre Cornud; Ali Mohamed El Fazaz, Tjaronn Chery, Neta Lavi; Dolev Haziza, Dean David, Omer AtziliApollon (4-4-2): Aleksandar Jovanović (GK); Vukašin Jovanović, Mathieu Peybernes, Panagiotis Artymatas, Amine Khammas; Elhadji Ba, Hervin Ongenda, Israel Coll, Nicolas Diguiny; Ioannis Pittas, Bagaliy Dabo$1,100 First Bet Insurance at CaesarsMaccabi Haifa vs Apollon PredictionMaccabi Haifa scored four times in their previous outing and appear to be in good touch at the moment. They will have home advantage here and will be looking to take the lead on aggregate.This will be the first competitive game of the season for Apollon and they might be a bit rusty. We expect Maccabi Haifa to secure a narrow victory.Prediction: Maccabi Haifa 2-1 Apollon