Maccabi Haifa Vs Olympiacos Betting Tip: Home/Draw & BTTS – 20 July 2022

Israeli champions can hold firm in first leg?

Ali Mohamed / Maccabi Haifa ©IMAGO / ANP 09.12.2021

Israel Maccabi Haifa Vs Olympiacos Israel

Wednesday, 20 July 2022 – 18:00 (BST)
UEFA Champions League Qualification
Pick: Maccabi Haifa or Draw/Both Teams to Score
Odds: 6/4
Bookmaker: Betfair (Bet Builder)
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 18 July 2022)

Preview: Sammy Ofer Stadium, in Haifa, Israel, provides the setting for this UEFA Champions League second qualifying round first-leg between Maccabi Haifa and Olympiacos. The former are unbeaten in their so far limited head-to-head match-ups, prevailing 3-0 in their sole encounter here in Israel.

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Maccabi Haifa – Home record holds them in good stead?

Top of the Israeli Premier League for a second time in as many seasons last time round, and 14th overall, making them the second most successful club in Israel. Maccabi Haifa will be aiming to emulate the class of 2009-10. That season saw the most recent of two Champions League group stage appearances. Although 2021-22’s last place finish in Europa Conference League Group E suggests expectations should be reined in.

The Greens didn’t travel at all well in Europe last term, losing five of seven outside Israel. Their prospects of moving on to the next round are therefore heavily dependent on how they perform at home, and last season’s record of one defeat in seven home European contests (W3 D3) – holding Europa Conference League finalists Feyenoord 0-0 at Sammy Ofer Stadium – augurs well for a positive first-leg outcome.

Key Stat: In last season’s UEFA Europa Conference League group stage, Maccabi Haifa would score in only two of six games and in one of their three as hosts (in a 1-0 victory vs Slavia Prague).

 

2-2 Draw
14/1

Betfair

 

Olympiacos – Greeks not renowned for traveling expertise?

After spending much of last season in the Europa League, where they secured a second place finish in Group D before crashing out in the knockout round play-off to Atalanta, Greece’s most decorated club are targetting a return to Europe’s premier club competition in 2022-23. The hard work begins here, though, especially in the knowledge they have lost to nil on all three prior visits to Israel.

This includes a 3-0 scoreline to Wednesday’s opponents in a 2002 UCL group stage meeting – a phase of the competition both sides are striving to reach in 2022. Just as concerning, though, will be the Red-Whites away record in Europe last season. Winning two of seven in all (D2 L3), they won just one of three away qualifiers in 2021-22, with that sole success a narrow-margin 1-0 victory in Azerbaijan over Neftci Baku.

Key Stat: In 2021-22, Olympiacos would accrue at least ten more points away from home than any other team on their way to claiming their 47th league title in Greek football.

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Maccabi Haifa Vs Olympiacos Betting Advice

Having never won – or even scored – in Israel across three attempts (vs Maccabi Haifa, lost 3-0 in 2002; vs Maccabi Tel Aviv, lost 1-0 in 2010; vs Hapoel Be’er Sheva, lost 1-0 in 2016) it is somewhat surprising to see Olympiacos as slight favourites ahead of this opening encounter. Particularly as they weren’t the most reliable on their travels in Europe last term: W2 D2 L3 (W1 D2 in qualifiers).

 

Maccabi Haifa Vs Olympiacos – Key Facts:

  • Olympiacos were Greek league champions for third season running in 2021-22, and 47th in all.
  • Maccabi Haifa are back-to-back Israeli Premier League winners, after previously not winning a single league title in a decade.
  • Since becoming a UEFA member at the turn of the 1990’s, Maccabi Haifa have hosted Greek opponents on three occasions. Their record in these games reads W1 D1 L1, scoring four and conceding four.

 

We also need to factor in just how good Maccabi Haifa’s home record has been in European competition. Across the past three seasons they would lose just three of 13 said matches (W7 D3). Those losses coming against Strasbourg, Tottenham and Union Berlin. Goals were a regular occurrence meanwhile. Nine of these encounters produced both teams scoring and seven of these would also see the hosts avoid defeat.

Best Betting Odds – Maccabi Haifa Vs Olympiacos

Maccabi Haifa – 21/10 (WilliamHill)
Draw – 11/5 (BetVictor)
Olympiacos – 6/4 (Boylesports)