Austrian side SCR Altach take on Maccabi Tel Aviv in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League Play-Off round.
UEFA Europa League – Play-Off Round – Thursday 17th August – 19:00 UK Time
SCR Altach
Altach finished fourth in the Austrian Bundesliga last season to secure a place in qualifying for this competition. They started off their campaign by scraping through against Georgian side Chikhura, winning the first leg 1-0 away before a 1-1 draw at home.
The second qualifying round saw them drawn against Brest and they failed to take advantage of being at home and of their opposition being reduced to ten men as the game finished 1-1. They upped a level in the second leg though, winning 3-0 to advance to the next round.
Next up came Gent, and another solid away performance to pick up a hard-fought 1-1 draw. The second leg was again where they won it, with a 3-1 home victory to move within 180 minutes of a place in the group stage. In their domestic league this season, they started with a 3-0 win over last season’s runners-up Austria Vienna but it’s all gone wrong since then. They have since lost three in a row to sit just two places off the bottom of the table.
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv have nine wins and a draw from ten competitive games this season, and their domestic league doesn’t start until this weekend coming. In this competition, they eased through the first two rounds by beating Tirana 5-0 on aggregate and KR 5-1 on aggregate.
The third qualifying round was tougher, with 1-0 wins both home and away just enough to see them past Panionios. Domestically, they sit top of their group in the Toto Cup after beating Bnei Yehuda, Maccabi Petah Tikva, and Hapoel Ra’anana, as well as drawing with Maccabi Netanya.
In those ten competitive games, they have kept eight clean sheets and conceded a total of just two goals. They are in fantastic form and will hope to continue that here, as they attempt to gain an advantage to put them on the verge of again qualifying for the group stage.
Head to Head
This is the first competitive game to be played between these sides.
Betting Odds and Predictions
This looks a tough match to call on paper and the betting odds reflect that.
Ladbrokes have Maccabi Tel Aviv has the slightest of favourites, priced at 6/4. SCR Altach are 15/8, and the draw is priced at 11/5.
Having looked at recent form, we think the away side will have too much quality for their opponents. The defence looks to be too resolute and they should nick a goal or two.
So, for us, the 6/4 on a Maccabi Tel Aviv win looks to be an extremely good price.
Going back to their defensive qualities, Maccabi Tel Aviv have kept eight clean sheets in their last ten matches which is a fantastic record. Altach have failed to score in their last two league matches, so could find it tough to find a way through a stubborn defence.
Therefore, Maccabi Tel Aviv to keep a clean sheet could prove to be a good bet at odds of 13/8. Also, the away team to win to nil looks a tempting price at 11/4 in the Win and Both Teams Not to Score market.
If you believe Altach could get something out of this game, but agree with us that Maccabi Tel Aviv are the better side, you may want to back the away team in the ‘Draw No Bet’ market. This is slightly lower odds of 4/5, but with the security of your stake back if the game finishes level.
Top Betting Tip
Our top betting tip for this match is Maccabi Tel Aviv to Win, at odds of 6/4 with Ladbrokes.