Sheriff Tiraspol v Maccabi Haifa

Sheriff Tiraspol v Maccabi Haifa Preview

Moldovan club, Sheriff Tiraspol, will play host to Israeli outfit, Maccabi Haifa, at the Bolshaya Sportivnaya Arena on Wednesday night with the hosts looking to avoid a repeat of needing extra-time as was the case in the previous 1st Qualifying Round.

Sheriff Tiraspol were 1-0 down after the 1st leg with Romanian club, Farul Constanta, but with the scores level at 1-1 after the end of normal time in the return leg, the tie went to extra-time where Sheriff scored another two goals in that period to claim the overall tie 3-1 on aggregate.

The extra match time may just have done Sheriff a favour though as the domestic Moldovan Super League doesn't commence until the first week in August, but results overall in recent times should see a confident Sheriff Tiraspol side take to the field in this opening leg.

The hosts have lost just once in their last 15 matches in all competitions which includes 11 victories, while on home soil Sheriff are unbeaten in their last 10 matches, picking up eight wins in the process.

Maccabi Haifa had no such problems in their 1st Qualifying Round tie with Maltese club, Hamrun Spartans, as the Israeli club registered a convincing 6-1 victory on aggregate which sent them sailing through into this 2nd Qualifying Round tie against Sheriff Tiraspol.

Although Maccabi Haifa had suffered back-to-back defeats in previous pre-season warm up games by way of defeats to Slavia Prague and St Polten respectively, the visitors racked up a third win on the trot on the weekend when they registered a comprehensive 3-1 victory against Beitar Jerusalem in the domestic Super Cup.

Having now won seven of their last nine matches in all competitions, Maccabi Haifa will also be in a confident frame of mind heading into this two-legged tie although recent results away from home have produced some inconsistent results.

Maccabi Haifa have won just five out of their last 13 outings on the road in all competitions whilst also slipping to five defeats as well, but goals do look likely to feature in this 1st leg tie with Sheriff Tiraspol as nine of Maccabi Haifa's last 13 games have resulted in both teams scoring.

Sheriff Tiraspol v Maccabi Haifa Verdict

Both Sheriff Tiraspol and Maccabi Haifa possess extensive experience at Champions League level and both teams head into this 2nd Qualifying Round tie in decent form, so it looks a decent chance that both teams could hit the back of the net in this 1st leg at the Bolshaya Sportivnaya Arena.

Therefore, our main bet will be Both Teams To Score Yes @ 2.10

Other side bets worth considering:

Draw @ 3.10

Correct score: 1-1 @ 6.00