Maccabi Tel Aviv – Porto

The nominal visitors from Portugal will achieve a confident victory

Maccabi Tel Aviv is forced to play its European Cup matches this season in foreign stadiums. Due to the difficult socio-political situation in Israel, the team will play the final round of the general stage of the Europa League in Belgrade at the arena of Partizan football club. Before this match, Maccabi has only a theoretical chance to qualify for the knockout rounds. To complete the overall stage in the Top 24 the Israeli team must win itself and hope that at least five of the eight competitors above it in the standings either lose or simply drop points - depending on the tournament situation of each of the absentee rivals. However, even here, Maccabi Tel Aviv will not be guaranteed success. It's all about their abysmal goal difference. Porto have a much easier tournament situation. The Portuguese team must win in Serbia, which with 99% probability will put them in the playoffs of the tournament. In some cases, Porto's exit to the knockout rounds is possible even after a draw. Bookmakers have identified the guests as favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.39 on their victory. Maccabi Tel Aviv started the current European season as the champion of Israel. However, in the 1/4 finals of the Champions League qualification the club gave way to FCCB and went to conquer the Europa League. Having qualified for the general stage, the Israeli team got points only in the fifth and sixth rounds, beating Besiktas and RFH respectively. Already in January, Maccabi lost 1:3 to Budo/Glimt, the first to score a goal in Norway. In the national championship, the club from Tel Aviv sits in second place an impressive distance from the leader. Last week's league game in Haifa was not played to the end after police intervened in a fan rampage. In general, Maccabi is conceding a lot, not always successfully compensating for a weak defensive game by attacking. It's as if Porto has been replaced in 2025. The club finished last year on a winning streak, but in January they lost four games in various tournaments and drew with Santa Clara. The last match shocked the fans with Galeno's two unassisted penalties, which should have secured a convincing victory for Porto. The Portuguese team have plenty of sporting anger, which will lead them to a convincing victory in Belgrade.