Villarreal take on the visitors Maccabi Haifa in the postponed round 3 match of Europa League group stage. The match will be played on Wednesday, December 6th at Estadio de la Ceramica (Villarreal).
Villarreal have been in turmoil since Unai Emery's departure a year ago. Kike Setien seemed to be a decent replacement, securing a 5th-place finish with the new team. However, conflicts with the players led to a shaky start and ultimately Setien's resignation. The subsequent replacement, Pacheta, didn't last long either. Eventually, Marcelino Garcia Toral returned. He had previously taken the club, which he led to the semifinals of the Europa League and secured a 4th-place spot in La Liga, to new heights. He won both the Copa del Rey with Samoira and the league with Osasuna. Even against Panathinaikos, they managed a 3-2 victory at home, although they settled for a draw against Sevilla.
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Maccabi (Haifa) are in a challenging situation. The Greens of Carmel managed to secure the Israeli championship title this year, their 15th overall and 3rd consecutively. However, their new start domestically hasn't been the best, and since mid-fall, sports in the country, including football, have been under a significant question mark. Despite a good showing in the Champions League qualifiers against Hamrun, Sheriff, and Bratislava's Slovan (losing only in the decisive round to Young Boys 0-3 in Switzerland after a 0-0 draw at home), the Europa League group stage proved too challenging, especially considering the circumstances. Drawing 0-0 at home against Panathinaikos, they suffered a 0-3 defeat to Rennes away and a 1-2 loss nominally at home to Villarreal. They ended November formally on their home turf, facing the French again, conceding three unanswered goals.
In November, the Spaniards and Israelis finally played against each other for the first time. The Spaniards are not in their best form but playing at home against a clearly weaker opponent. We predict that a victory for the Yellow Submarine will be secured with a handicap of -1.5 goals scored.
Prediction for the match: Villarreal to win with -1.5 handicap.
