Maccabi Haifa take on the visitors Slovan Bratislava in the second leg of UEFA Champions League qualification semifinals. First leg result: 2-1. The match will be played on Tuesday, August 15th at Sammy Ofer Stadium (Haifa).
Maccabi just needs not to falter in their home Haifa. The Greens of Carmel are considered both a historical grandeur of Israeli football and a current flagship. This was proven in the previous season with yet another title defense. Now they aim to shine again in the Champions League. In the previous campaign, they managed to qualify and then convincingly defeated the star-studded Juventus at home. In the new cycle, they started by confidently defeating Hamrun Spartans (4-0 in Malta and hard-fought 2-1 at home). However, facing Sheriff was much tougher. In Tiraspol, Talal scored the only goal, and in Haifa, he opened the score by converting a penalty. Yet, the hosts managed to win 2-1 in regular time and extend it to a resounding 4-1 in extra time. In Bratislava, they secured a 2-1 victory within the first quarter-hour in favor of the guests.
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Slovan should rely only on a football miracle. The Sky Blues became champions for the first time back in 1940. They occasionally managed to secure the gold even in unified Czechoslovakia, and in 1969, the Slovaks won the Cup Winners' Cup. Currently, they dominate the national championship – they secured their 24th trophy in the spring, and it's their 5th in a row. However, their international results are not always impressive. In this context, the current qualification was challenging but relatively successful for Weiss and his charges (among whom his son is included). Interestingly, both against Swift Esperanza and Zrinjski, the advancement was secured with away victories, with draws at home. However, against Maccabi, they finished 1-2 in their home Bratislava, and now they need to play for victory on the road. Even Sek's own goal didn't help – Dia Saba responded with his goal and assist.
On August 9th, the teams played against each other for the first time. The Israelis managed to win in Slovakia, so why not repeat that on their home turf? Let's bet on the Greens to win again.
Prediction for the match: Maccabi Haifa to win.
