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Maribor will entertain Sheriff at Ljudski Vrt in the first leg of the second-round UEFA Champions League qualifying fixture on Wednesday.
The home team recorded a 2-0 win on aggregate against Shakhtyor in their previous round of fixtures. They played out a goalless draw in the home leg of the first round but bounced back well in the away leg thanks to Roko Baturina's brace.
They also got their Slovenian PrvaLiga campaign underway on Saturday. The game ended in a 3-0 defeat at home and they will be looking to bounce back from that defeat.
Sheriff also secured a narrow win in their first-round qualifiers. Bosnia and Herzegovina-based Zrjinski gave them a tough fight as the first leg ended in a goalless draw and they were only able to secure a 1-0 win on aggregate with Igor Savić's own goal in the second leg.
Maribor vs Sheriff Head-to-Head
This will be the first-ever meeting between the two sides across all competitions.
Maribor form guide (all competitions): L-W-D-D-D
Sheriff form guide (all competitions): W-D
Maribor vs Sheriff Team News
Maribor
The hosts had named a 23-man squad for their previous European assignment against Shakhtyor. We expect manager Radovan Karanović to field a similar team for the second-round qualifiers here. Luka Uskoković was left out of the squad for the away game against Shakhtyor and also did not appear on the team sheet in the league game. His involvement here is doubtful.
Injured: None.
Doubtful: Luka Uskoković.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: None.
Sheriff
Iyayi Atiemwen was injured in a training game earlier this month and was absent from the second leg against Zrjinski after making an appearance from the bench in the first leg.
Injured: None.
Doubtful: Iyayi Atiemwen.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: None.
Maribor vs Sheriff Predicted XIs
Maribor (4-2-3-1): Menno Bergsen (GK); Martin Milec, Nemanja Mitrovic, Max Watson, Gregor Sikosek; Antoine Makoumbou, Jan Repas; Danijel Sturm, Rok Kronaveter, Nino Zugelj; Rok Sirk.
Sheriff (3-4-3): Dumitru Celeadnic (GK); Charles Petro, Stjepan Radeljic, Stefanos Evangelou; Heron Crespo Da Silva, Abou Ouattara, Cedric Badolo, Moussa Kyabou; Momo Yansané, Pernambuco, Ibrahim Akanbi Rasheed.
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Maribor vs Sheriff Prediction
Given the current form of the two sides, the game is expected to be a low-scoring affair, as only three goals have been scored in the four games played by the two sides in the Champions League qualifiers this season.
Given Maribor's home advantage, we back them to eke out a narrow win here.
Prediction: Maribor 1-0 Sheriff
