This League Phase is proving to be a difficult assignment for both Maccabi Tel Aviv and Real Sociedad, as both sides will be looking for their first win in the competition.
Maccabi Tel Aviv have only missed three seasons in Europe in the last decade. Although they are the smaller team, they are far more experienced than Real Sociedad in that sense.
The team reached the Round of 16 last year in the Conference League but with two losses since the start of this campaign, matching this progression looks like an almost impossible task.
Round 1 was an expected defeat and that goal shouldn't give you any wrong ideas. It was a penalty and it was their sole shot on goal in 90 minutes. The possession percentage was there but it is not enough. Braga shot 30 times and had every opportunity to score more than two goals.
The second-round match against Midtjylland featured a similar performance and despite the higher number of chances, Maccabi Tel Aviv didn't score a goal from open play once more.
Real Sociedad are also struggling to match their progression in the domestic league but there are signs of improvement. But it is yet to be seen if they have what it takes to fix their mistakes in the Europa League. Losing to Anderlecht at home was never supposed to happen but it did.
How the bookies view it: Time for Sociedad to show up
Real Sociedad have been given a considerable edge ahead of this match. Betano estimated their chances to win on the road at 13/18, while the respective hosts were given 23/6. Alternatively, you can opt for the draw at 11/4.
Recent head to head: Debut H2H incoming
Unsurprisingly, this will be the first H2H between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Real Sociedad. There is no useful information as these teams are yet to make history between them.
Players to watch: Name a more aggressive player than Asante
Skip this fixture if you are looking for a trustworthy scorer. Maccabi Tel Aviv are coming from a much weaker league than Sociedad and scoring goals there doesn't translate into scoring at the Europa League.
And on Real Sociedad's end, they don't have a single player with more than two goals this season. The only value bet here is for Tyrese Asante to get booked. The young Dutch defender has accumulated three yellows and a red in four Europa League appearances already. He will be available for this match after being suspended in the previous round.
Probable line-ups
Maccabi Tel Aviv: Mishpati, Asante, Stojic, Shlomo, Nachmias, Peretz, Kanichowsky, Sissokho, Davida, Addo, Madmon
Real Sociedad: Remiro, Odriozola, Zubeldia, Pacheco, Lopez, Mendez, Zubimendi, Turrientes, Barrenetxea, Kubo, Oyarzabal
Anything else catch the eye?
Based on the last couple of rounds, we can expect an exchange of goals between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Real Sociedad. The Ryals should have the upper hand but their defensive performance has been below par for a Spanish side.
Maccabi Tel Aviv have the experience but continue to host their games abroad. This means that they are never truly the home side and this makes it much harder no matter the opponent. For this reason and the fact that they haven't been effective enough in the final third, we have to back Real Sociedad to win on Thursday.
This UEFA Europa League match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Real Sociedad will be played on Oct 24, 2024 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Real Sociedad prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
