Maccabi Tel Aviv vs FCSB prediction 31.07.2024 | Champions League

• Competition: Champions League Qualifiers, 2nd Round, 2nd Leg
• Date: Wednesday, 31st July, 2024
• Kickoff: 19:00 UK / 20:00 CEST
• Venue: Bozsik Arena (Budapest)

After a 1:1 draw in Romania, FCSB and Maccabi Tel Aviv will head to the neutral pitch in Hungary for the second leg of the second round in the Champions League Qualifiers.

Last year, Maccabi Tel Aviv, the biggest club in Israel, claimed the league title after a three-year wait. This year, they have already secured another trophy by winning the Super Cup against Maccabi Petah Tikva. When it comes to Europe, Maccabi are a pretty regular participant in the group phase, but mainly in the Europa League and Conference League. However, their last appearance in the Champions League group stage was in the 2015/16 season. In these Qualifiers, Maccabi started off well but will have a challenging task ahead of them as they play their European home games outside Israel.

FCSB won their 27th league title last year fairly easily, and just like Maccabi, they already won the Super Cup trophy this year. Their European campaign began in the first round of the Champions League Qualifiers, where they decisively defeated San Marino champions Virtus with an 11:1 aggregate. Despite this initial success in both the Super Cup and the first round, FCSB's form is on the decline. Currently, bookmakers see FCSB as a slight underdog, offering odds of around 2.0 for them to advance to the third qualifying round.

Maccabi Tel Aviv vs FCSB pick: Under 2.5 goals

In the first leg, we saw a 1:1 draw in a match in which FCSB were a better team overall but struggled to create clear-cut chances against Maccabi's defense. Eventually, they scored their only goal from the corner kick. So, if they struggled to score at home, we cannot expect much better performance on the road or on a neutral pitch in this case. On the other hand, Maccabi Tel Aviv pretty much had only one chance for the entire game and scored a goal.

Additionally, Maccabi Tel Aviv mainly played low-scoring games this season (and preseason as well). The main reason for it is their good defensive performances, considering they allowed only one goal in five games.

Neither team has a reason to risk, and considering what we have seen from these teams in the first leg, we believe that an under 2.5 goals bet is the safest option for this Champions League Qualifiers match.