Maccabi Petah Tikva vs Sporting Braga

Maccabi Petah Tikva seek a miracle at the Georgi Asparuhov Stadium as they bid to overhaul a two-goal deficit in the return leg of their Europa League qualifying tie against Sporting Braga.

Despite an underwhelming eighth-place finish in the Israeli Premier League last season, lifting the State Cup title for the first time since 1952 gave Maccabi a chance to compete on the European front for the first time in nearly two decades. Though they head into proceedings as underdogs, especially following a 2-0 first-leg loss in Portugal, Maccabi can draw confidence from progressing from their only previous UEFA Cup/Europa League tie, overturning a 3-0 first-leg deficit with a stunning 4-0 home win against AEK Larnaca in 2004/05. However, they have since won just once in six European games on home soil (W1, D1, L4). On a more positive note, Dan Roman’s men have won four of their five competitive home outings since the beginning of April (L1).

On the other hand, Braga failed to make it out of last season’s Champions League group stages before Qarabag crashed them out of the Europa League knockout playoff round. Seeking a fresh start in Europe and, in turn, their first group-stage appearance in the Europa League since reaching the quarter-finals in 2021/22, the Portuguese giants head to Israel for the first time. The Archbishops have struggled for consistency on their recent continental travels, racking up four wins and three losses in their last seven European away matches. Worryingly for head coach Daniel Sousa, his side conceded 2+ goals four times during that sequence, suggesting their two-goal cushion may not necessarily guarantee progression.