Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the UEFA Europa League match.
Maccabi Petah Tikva
Just like in the lost Israeli Super Cup game against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Petah Tikva struggled against a more skilled opponent in the European competition. The Israeli side managed to hold on for the first half in Portugal, however Braga was closer to score the goal (8 shots to 1, 63% possession to 35%), but in the second half Maccabi missed two goals. The substitutions didn’t help a lot in attack. Idan Vered, Ido Cohen, Or Roizman and Ariel Lugasi were trying to save the score instead of creating goals.
Braga
Braga’s confidence was clear even before the match started, as they decided to leave the star forward Simon Banza on the bench. He appeared in the 77th minute, after the team had already scored. The experienced half-back trio of João Moutinho, Rodrigo Zalazar, André Horta will be key players for Braga in the upcoming match.
Maccabi Petah Tikva - Braga
Prediction Braga’s 2-0 win at home against Maccabi Petah Tikva basically decided the result of this round. The Portuguese club is already looking ahead to the next round of the Europa League qualifiers, while the Israeli club won’t have a home advantage in the second leg, which takes place in Sofia.
The final shot count (22-3, 9-0 on target) shows that Braga is in a great position to win again. It will be tough for Maccabi Petah Tikva to compete against the team that's on their way to the group stage.
