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The Europa League returns with a fresh set of fixtures as Maccabi Tel Aviv and Porto square off at the Partizan Stadium on Thursday. The Portuguese powerhouse sit just one point behind the knockout-stage playoff places and will set out in search of maximum points.
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s dreams of securing a spot in the next phase of the Europa League suffered a major blow last Thursday when they fell to a 3-1 defeat against Bodo/Glimt at the Aspmyra Stadion.
Before that, Zarko Lazetic’s men snapped their four-game losing streak in the competition with a 3-1 victory over Besiktas on November 28, two weeks before claiming a 2-1 win over Latvian outfit RFS.
Maccabi Tel Aviv have picked up six points from a possible 21 to sit 29th in the Europa League standings, three points adrift of 24th-placed Besiktas in the final playoff spot.
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Porto, on the other hand, failed to find their feet on Sunday when they were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Santa Clara in their Portuguese Primeira Liga clash at the Estadio do Dragao.
Vitor Bruno's side have gone five straight games without a win since the turn of the year, claiming one draw and losing four, including a 1-0 defeat against Olympiacos in the Europa League on January 23.
Porto have picked up two wins and two draws from their seven Europa League matches so far to collect eight points and sit 25th in the table, just one point off the playoff qualifying places.
Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Porto Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the third meeting between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Porto, with the Portuguese giants claiming two wins from their previous two encounters.
- Maccabi Tel Aviv are unbeaten in 14 of their last 16 matches across all competitions, claiming 10 wins and four draws since the first week of November.
- Porto have won just one of their last nine away matches while losing six and claiming two draws since the start of November.
- Maccabi Tel Aviv currently hold the third-poorest defensive record in the Europa League, having conceded 16 goals from their seven matches so far.
Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Porto Prediction
It has been a poor start to the year for Porto, who have failed to win their opening five matches. However, the Portuguese side boast a significantly superior and more experienced squad to Maccabi and we are tipping them to come away with the desired result.
Prediction: Maccabi Tel Aviv 1-3 Porto
Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Porto Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Porto to win
Tip 2: Over 2.5 - Yes (There have been at least three goals scored in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s last nine matches)
Tip 3: Both sides to score - Yes (Both sides have also scored in Maccabi’s last six games)
