Read our prediction for Strasbourg vs Maccabi Haifa below. This preview was written by a sport journalist who is specialised in betting tips and predictions. Use our betting tips for the match between Strasbourg vs Maccabi Haifa and you can increase your winnings!
Strasbourg vs Maccabi Haifa Prediction & Betting tips
The fastest way to Europe leads through the trophy. This is not only the case in Germany, but also in many other European leagues. In France, for example, there are even two cup competitions. One of them (Coupe de la Ligue) won in the preseason Racing Strasbourg. With wins against OSC Lille, Olympique Marseille, Olympique Lyon, Girondins Bordeaux and in the final against EA Guingamp, the northeastern French have earned this success and the ticket for the Europa League qualification. The victory against Guingamp on penalties was very close. A success of the black and red would have been even curious on the other side, because Guingamp has relegated to Ligue Une and would now be represented as a second division international. However, Strasbourg is representing French football and wants to tackle the first of three hurdles en route to the group stage. The first leg will be played on Thursday and Strasbourg will face Maccabi Haifa – the odds for a tip suggest a clear favorite for the hosts.
However, as the Ligue Une has not yet started, there is a real cold start in the first competitive game for the home team. Haifa on the other hand has already completed a qualifying round and prevailed there against Mura from Slovenia. In addition, a play-off game in the Israeli league was on the program on the weekend. Thus, the larger match practice is quite a small advantage for the underdog, which should not be underestimated. The fact that between Racing Strasbourg and Maccabi Haifa the betting odds for an away win are close to the double digits makes a prognosis in the direction of the guests seem at least as interesting. The first leg of this match will kick off at 19:45 on Thursday night.
Strasbourg:
After a very solid season, which ended in Racing Strasbourg at the end due to a form-low on the finishing straight of the season in eleventh place, but in which the club never got into relegation, the club wants to continue to establish itself in the French House of Lords and strives for a single-place place on. Success coach Thierry Laurey can draw on almost the same squad. The basic structure in the team has remained the same. Above all, defensively with the very stable five-line and offensively with the two top attackers Joia Nuno da Costa and Ludovic Ajorque all performers were held. On the other hand, there is a slight change at the head office as Sanjin Prcic and Anthony Goncalves have left the club two players. Benjamin Corgnet and Kevin Zohi are two of the young players from the second row who are waiting in the wings and waiting for their chances.
Both were allowed to play in the test matches and did their job very well. Zohi even scored a goal against Toulouse. Overall, the previous three test matches were at least judging by the results extremely successful. A 2-1 win against FC Zurich was followed by a 2-0 win against Standard Liège and a 3-1 win over Toulouse. Coach Laurey has always wanted to get his players into competitive mode right away, knowing that the qualifiers will soon be in the Europa League. So the hosts seem well prepared for the competitive match on Thursday before their home crowd. Despite Strasbourg’s lack of playmaking power over Maccabi Haifa, tipping home is the right choice.
Maccabi Haifa:
Maccabi Haifa took second place in the national championship group and is the reigning runner-up. However, the distance to the Ligaprimus Maccabi Tel Aviv is huge. 31 points was the gap after the 36 game day. While the champions had a +60 goal difference, Haifa finished +5. The goal is therefore quite clear, in the upcoming season closer to the national dominator from the capital approach.
In addition, the squad of coach Marco Balbul wants to represent their own country internationally well and come as far as possible in the Europa League. In qualifying, the first hurdle was already skipped sovereign. The Slovenian representative Mura had no chance in both games. Maccabi Haifa laid the groundwork in the first leg with a 2-0 home win and eventually won 3-2 away. Yuval Ashkenazi was the game-winning man in both games, adding three in total. The 27-year-old has come in the summer of new Bne Jude and has taken immediately. He plays a central role in midfield and a lot of responsibility. So far, this concept seems to work well.
At the weekend was the playoff game against Hapoel Be`er Sheva in the league. Haifa lost 1-0 at home in a heated game with two red and four yellow cards. Thus, the confidence of the guests before the appearance in France is a little weakened and Coach Balbul must rebuild the heads of his players.
The Israeli squad has few well-known names. One of the players who are still known in Germany from previous Bundesliga times, is the Australian Nikita Rukavytsa. The 32-year-old attacker has played for many years with Hertha BSC and FSV Mainz 05. Meanwhile, he is in Haifa but mostly the reserve role and is brought as a joker in the game. Also on Thursday, he must probably let his colleagues on the offensive initially the precedence.