Maccabi Tel-Aviv
In the first leg of the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round, Finnish Maccabi will host Bulgarian CSKA Sofia on neutral territory in Batumi, Georgia, at 6 August 2026 at 17:00 BST.
Maccabi progressed past their second-round opponents with a huge advantage (+6), while CSKA failed to score once.
It had been planned that those with a ticket-purchase history for Maccabi matches would be able to attend, but after the club's fans used pyrotechnics at the previous game in Batumi against Sheriff, UEFA ordered this fixture to be played behind closed doors. So the Tel Aviv side's minimal advantage is melting away before our eyes.
So it turns out Maccabi will be the home side only nominally. The neutral venue is not even the main issue now. A small group of the Israeli club's fans let off all their pyrotechnics in the opening minutes, then simply sang chants, but that fire display really was unsafe. In purely footballing terms, though, that return leg was a formality: the Yellow Devils had built up a huge cushion in the match in Tiraspol (5:0). It will be harder against the Army Men, as they did not concede once against Qarabag.
But Maccabi will still press and try to dictate the game, even in near-total silence. Their opponents will not force things too much and will wait for a good chance to counterattack. Almost every player in the nominal hosts' attacking unit will be dangerous, and there are four of them. Even the central area carries a threat — defensive midfielder Issouf Sissokho also scored in Tiraspol. The three-centre-back system gives Kenny Miller's team greater solidity in the defensive phase.
Yet CSKA were not affected by Qarabag's 14 shots on target over two matches, so the chance that one of the teams fails to score is not all that low. That option is still priced at slightly bigger odds, but why not consider it as the main pick? In five of Maccabi's eight home matches on neutral ground in the 2025/26 season, Both teams to score - No landed, while CSKA failed to score in six of their previous eight European matches.
Manfredas Lukjancukas (Lithuania)
Matches - 7 (international matches, 2025-2026);
Average fouls per match - 24;
Average yellow cards per match (including second yellows) - 3.8;
Matches with red cards - 1 of 7;
Matches with penalties - 1 of 7.
|
Kenny Miller
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
Ofek Melika Aharon
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Itay Ben Hamo
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mohamed Ali Camara
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Raz Shlomo
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Shahar Rosen
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Dor Peretz
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ido Shahar
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Issouf Bemba Sissokho
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Itamar Noy
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Hélio Sandro Oliveira Alves Varela
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Sayed Abu Farhi
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Lotem Asras
|
0 | 0 | |
|
Noam Schwartz
|
0 | 0 | |
|
Roi Mishpati
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Noam Ben Harush Shani
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Tyrese Asante
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Dan Leon Glazer
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Elad Madmon
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ester Sokler
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ilay Ben Simon
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Kervin Mario Andrade Navarro
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ori Natan Azo
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Osher Davida
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Daniel Morales
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
Fedor Lapoukhov
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Facundo Santiago Rodríguez Fábregas
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Pastor
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Teodor Ivanov
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ángelo Martino
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Bruno André Cavaco Jordão
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Jean-Philippe Gbamin
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Max Ebong
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Stefano Sensi
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ioannis Pittas
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Santiago Leandro Godoy
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Dimitar Ivanov Evtimov
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Aleks Aleksandrov Tunchev
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Andrey Yordanov Yordanov
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Georgi Brankov Chorbadzhiyski
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Isaac Solet Bomawoko
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
James Armel Eto'o Eyenga
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mohamed Amine Brahimi
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Petko Panayotov
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Alejandro Piedrahita Díaz
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Joël Zwarts
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Leonardo Pereira
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Vasil Stanislavov Kaymakanov
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Sheriff
Sheriff
Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Bologna
Freiburg
Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Stuttgart
Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Lyon
Aston Villa
Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Midtjylland
Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Dinamo Zagreb
PAOK
Maccabi Tel-Aviv
CSKA Sofia
Qarabağ
Qarabağ
CSKA Sofia
Derry City
CSKA Sofia
CSKA Sofia
Derry City
Sepsi OSK Sfantu Gheorghe
CSKA Sofia
CSKA Sofia
Sepsi OSK Sfantu Gheorghe
FC Basel
CSKA Sofia
CSKA Sofia
FC Basel
St Patrick's Athletic
CSKA Sofia
CSKA Sofia
St Patrick's Athletic
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Benfica
|
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10:2 | 9 |
|
2
|
Bayer 04
|
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8:0 | 9 |
|
3
|
Bournemouth
|
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8:1 | 9 |
|
4
|
Ferencvárosi
|
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9:3 | 9 |
|
5
|
Olympiacos Piraeus
|
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4:1 | 9 |
|
6
|
Saint-Gilloise
|
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8:1 | 7 |
|
7
|
Juventus
|
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9:3 | 7 |
|
8
|
Beşiktaş JK
|
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9:5 | 7 |
|
9
|
Sunderland
|
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4:2 | 7 |
|
10
|
AZ Alkmaar
|
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6:2 | 6 |
|
11
|
Omonia
|
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5:4 | 6 |
|
12
|
Lyon
|
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5:6 | 6 |
|
13
|
Rennes
|
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4:3 | 5 |
|
14
|
Real Sociedad
|
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8:3 | 4 |
|
15
|
Crystal Palace
|
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8:5 | 4 |
|
16
|
Sparta Prague
|
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5:3 | 4 |
|
17
|
Levski Sofia
|
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3:3 | 4 |
|
18
|
Dinamo Zagreb
|
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3:4 | 4 |
|
19
|
Sturm Graz
|
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1:3 | 4 |
|
20
|
NEC Nijmegen
|
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5:8 | 4 |
|
21
|
Red Bull Salzburg
|
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3:6 | 4 |
|
22
|
Anderlecht
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4:3 | 3 |
|
23
|
Hoffenheim
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5:5 | 3 |
|
24
|
AC Milan
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4:5 | 3 |
|
25
|
Celta
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3:4 | 3 |
|
26
|
OFI Crete
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3:4 | 3 |
|
27
|
Jagiellonia
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4:6 | 3 |
|
28
|
União Torreense
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4:7 | 3 |
|
29
|
NK Celje
|
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2:7 | 1 |
|
30
|
Hapoel Be'er Sheva
|
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1:6 | 1 |
|
31
|
Lillestrom
|
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2:9 | 1 |
|
32
|
Lech
|
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1:9 | 1 |
|
33
|
Viktoria Plzen
|
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2:7 | 0 |
|
34
|
Marseille
|
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1:6 | 0 |
|
35
|
Celtic
|
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3:9 | 0 |
|
36
|
Ararat-Armenia
|
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2:11 | 0 |
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Bournemouth
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6:0 | 6 |
|
2
|
Ferencvárosi
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6:2 | 6 |
|
3
|
Olympiacos Piraeus
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 6 |
|
4
|
Saint-Gilloise
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5:1 | 4 |
|
5
|
Juventus
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7:2 | 4 |
|
6
|
Beşiktaş JK
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6:3 | 4 |
|
7
|
Sturm Graz
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1:0 | 4 |
|
8
|
Benfica
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:1 | 3 |
|
9
|
Bayer 04
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:0 | 3 |
|
10
|
Sunderland
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 |
|
11
|
AZ Alkmaar
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:1 | 3 |
|
12
|
Omonia
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:4 | 3 |
|
13
|
Lyon
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
14
|
Rennes
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:1 | 3 |
|
15
|
Crystal Palace
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:0 | 3 |
|
16
|
Dinamo Zagreb
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:4 | 3 |
|
17
|
Hoffenheim
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5:3 | 3 |
|
18
|
OFI Crete
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:2 | 3 |
|
19
|
Jagiellonia
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:4 | 3 |
|
20
|
Sparta Prague
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
21
|
NEC Nijmegen
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
22
|
NK Celje
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2:5 | 1 |
|
23
|
Hapoel Be'er Sheva
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0:0 | 1 |
|
24
|
Lech
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1:5 | 1 |
|
25
|
Real Sociedad
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
26
|
Levski Sofia
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:1 | 0 |
|
27
|
Red Bull Salzburg
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:4 | 0 |
|
28
|
Anderlecht
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
29
|
AC Milan
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:2 | 0 |
|
30
|
Celta
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
31
|
União Torreense
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
32
|
Lillestrom
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:8 | 0 |
|
33
|
Viktoria Plzen
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:5 | 0 |
|
34
|
Marseille
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:1 | 0 |
|
35
|
Celtic
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2:5 | 0 |
|
36
|
Ararat-Armenia
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:8 | 0 |
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Benfica
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6:1 | 6 |
|
2
|
Bayer 04
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6:0 | 6 |
|
3
|
Sunderland
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3:2 | 4 |
|
4
|
Real Sociedad
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7:1 | 4 |
|
5
|
Levski Sofia
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3:2 | 4 |
|
6
|
Red Bull Salzburg
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3:2 | 4 |
|
7
|
Bournemouth
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:1 | 3 |
|
8
|
Ferencvárosi
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 3 |
|
9
|
Olympiacos Piraeus
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 |
|
10
|
Saint-Gilloise
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:0 | 3 |
|
11
|
Juventus
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:1 | 3 |
|
12
|
Beşiktaş JK
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
13
|
AZ Alkmaar
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:1 | 3 |
|
14
|
Omonia
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:0 | 3 |
|
15
|
Lyon
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:4 | 3 |
|
16
|
Sparta Prague
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:2 | 3 |
|
17
|
NEC Nijmegen
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:7 | 3 |
|
18
|
Anderlecht
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:1 | 3 |
|
19
|
AC Milan
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:3 | 3 |
|
20
|
Celta
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:2 | 3 |
|
21
|
União Torreense
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:5 | 3 |
|
22
|
Rennes
|
|
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2:2 | 2 |
|
23
|
Crystal Palace
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4:5 | 1 |
|
24
|
Dinamo Zagreb
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0:0 | 1 |
|
25
|
Lillestrom
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
26
|
Sturm Graz
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:3 | 0 |
|
27
|
Hoffenheim
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:2 | 0 |
|
28
|
OFI Crete
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
29
|
Jagiellonia
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
30
|
NK Celje
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:2 | 0 |
|
31
|
Hapoel Be'er Sheva
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:6 | 0 |
|
32
|
Lech
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:4 | 0 |
|
33
|
Viktoria Plzen
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
34
|
Marseille
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:5 | 0 |
|
35
|
Celtic
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:4 | 0 |
|
36
|
Ararat-Armenia
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:3 | 0 |
