Will Villarreal take the lead in Group F?

On Wednesday, FC Villarreal and Maccabi Haifa will play a catch-up match in the Europa League. The match was originally scheduled to be played on 26.10.2023, but was postponed due to the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel. For the visiting team in particular, this match therefore has a bad aftertaste, because in these difficult times, thoughts will certainly not only be on sport. Consequently, the bookmakers’ odds between Villarreal and Maccabi Haifa are also in favor of the hosts

The home side are clearly favored anyway, as coach Marcelino’s team is naturally on a completely different level in terms of play. In addition, the visitors have only played four competitive games in the past two months and are therefore completely out of rhythm. For this reason alone, anything other than a win for the home team would be a big surprise. That’s why the odds are clearly against a win for the Isrealis between Villarreal and Maccabi Haifa

We recommend betting on “Villarreal to score in both halves” between Villarreal and Maccabi Haifa. This is primarily due to the weak defense of the visiting team, who conceded eight goals in the first four group games and were even well served in some cases. Anything other than a clear victory for the Spaniards would therefore be very surprising

This Europa League match kicks off at 21:00 on Wednesday at the Estadio de La Ceramica in Villarreal. The match can be watched live and in full on RTL+.

Villarreal – Statistics & current form

Villarreal are currently in second place in Group F of the Europa League and have already qualified for the knockout round. However, the question remains as to whether Marcelino’s team will have to go through to the intermediate round or whether they can qualify directly for the round of 16. If the Spaniards win their match against Maccabi Haifa, a draw against Stade Rennes on the final matchday would be enough to win the group.

While their performances in the Europa League have been quite decent so far, the home side are clearly falling short of their own expectations in the league. Villarreal are currently in twelfth place and have picked up just 16 points from their first 15 games. This means that the gap to the international places is even greater than the gap to the relegation places

The submarine still not quite convincing at home

The Spaniards have already played ten home games this season, picking up just 13 points in the process. Conversely, this means that Marcelino’s side have lost 50% of their games at the Estadio de la Ceramica. The home side have also conceded 18 goals at home, which equates to 1.8 goals per game. On the other hand, they have also conceded 18 goals, so it looks like this will be a high-scoring game.

With 32 goals conceded in 21 games in all competitions, the home side’s defense is clearly their weak point. In addition, Marcelino’s side have kept a clean sheet just four times this season, meaning they have kept a clean sheet in just 19% of their games. It hardly mattered whether the hosts were playing at home or away

Spanish top scorer

Gerard Moreno is currently playing his sixth season in a Villarreal shirt and can look back on a very successful time so far. The Spanish center forward has already made 256 appearances for his current employers, scoring 155 times. And this season, the attacker is once again his team’s top scorer with a total of ten points, making him one of the key players in Marcelino’s team.

Predicted Villarreal line-up:

Maccabi Haifa – Statistics & current form

Maccabi are currently bottom of Group F in the Europa League and therefore have no chance of reaching the knockout rounds. Nevertheless, Messay Dago’s side still have their sights set on reaching the intermediate round of the Conference League. Even if they lose to Villarreal, the Isrealis could still overtake Panathinaikos Athens with a win on the final matchday.

Haifa are the reigning champions of the Israeli Premier League and therefore one of the favorites for the title this season. However, Messay Dago’s team are only in third place after six matchdays and are already four points behind their main rivals Maccabi Tel-Aviv. However, due to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, most of the matches have been canceled, meaning that the table is still hardly meaningful.

The visitors have played eight away games this season, picking up just twelve points in the process. This means they have lost 50% of their away games this season. Messay Dago’s side have had no chance against stronger opponents such as Stade Rennes or Young Boys Bern, losing both games 3-0. So there are no signs of a win against Villarreal in advance

Shaky defense

With 24 goals conceded in 18 competitive matches, Haifa’s backline is conceding 1.33 goals per game. That’s not a bad figure, but it’s not good either. Maccabi also have the weakest defense in Group F and have already had to clear the ball out of their own net eight times in the Europa League. In addition, Messay Dago’s team have only kept a clean sheet four times, meaning they have kept a clean sheet in just 22% of their games

Top scorer from Haiti

Frantzdy Pierrot has already scored eight goals this season and set up a further goal. This makes him Maccabi Haifa’s second-highest scorer behind Tjaronn Chery. The center forward has already scored 19 goals in 27 games for the Haitian national team. The tall attacker’s strengths lie particularly in his physicality, making him a real penalty-area striker. Villarreal will therefore face particular challenges from set pieces.

Predicted line-up of Maccabi Haifa:

Villarreal – Maccabi Haifa Direct comparison / H2H result

The direct comparison between the two teams is quickly summarized, as the two teams met for the first time at the beginning of November. The Spaniards won the only duel between the two teams to date and deservedly won 2:1 in the end. However, we should not underestimate the Isrealis, as the underdogs even led until the 81st minute. In their own stadium, however, the superiority of the game should also quickly become apparent on the scoreboard. For this reason, our prediction between Villarreal and Maccabi Haifa also goes in the direction of the home team:

Villarreal – Maccabi Haifa betting tip

The Spaniards are rightly favored in this match, clearly superior in terms of play and also have the home advantage on their side. On the other hand, the visitors are not particularly strong away from home and are far too vulnerable in defense. All in all, everything speaks in favor of the home side ahead of this match. We are therefore betting on a win for the home team between Villarreal and Maccabi Haifa in conjunction with over 1.5 goals in the match

Alternatively, we recommend the odds for “both teams to score – yes” between Villarreal and Maccabi Haifa. This is primarily due to the fact that the Israelis have little to lose in this match and can therefore go into the game boldly. In addition, both teams managed to put the ball in the opposing goal in the first leg. In addition, the favorites concede an average of 1.52 goals per game and are therefore anything but stable