- Team form: FC Sheriff Tiraspol are unbeaten in their last 5 games, winning 3 and drawing 2.
- Recent record: Maccabi Tel-Aviv have won 5, drawn 2 and lost 3 of their last 10 matches.
- Home stats: Sheriff average 2.00 goals per game at home while conceding an average of just 0.40 goals.
First contest between two solid, structured sides
Form and managers
FC Sheriff Tiraspol have the better form in all competitions across the last 10 matches, winning 6, drawing 3 and losing just once under Victor Mihailov, who took charge on 1 June 2025.
Maccabi Tel-Aviv come into the game with a solid run of 5 wins, 2 draws and 3 defeats across the same period, but Kenny Miller, who has been in charge since 1 July 2026, will know there's still a lot of work to be done to fully implement his high-tempo system.
Tactical setup and recent run
His players are still working out the kinks of a fast-paced game plan which operates from a back four, either in 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 shapes, that uses plenty of rotation in midfield, width to stretch the opposition and energy in pressing to force errors.
Maccabi's last 5 in all competitions reads WWDLL and they arrive at Sheriff Stadium on the back of a 2-game winning streak.
Sheriff could edge out the Israelis in Moldova
Sheriff will look to control the pace of the game by staying compact in their usual 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 shape and then releasing their pacy, direct attacking options when winning the ball back in transition.
This looks like a match where Sheriff will have more of the ball and try to wear Maccabi down with their structure and counter-attacking thrust. The Israelis will attempt to raise the tempo and pin the hosts back into their own half, so it could be a tasty tactical match.
There is no head-to-head record to lean on here, so there are a lot of unknowns, but Sheriff could have enough about them to upset the favourite at home on Thursday.
Odds against the visitors look a shade short
Maccabi are listed at 2.3 with Sheriff 3.0 and the draw at 3.12, which seems a little tight against a side who are unbeaten in 5 games.
The Moldova side have won 4 and drawn 1 of their 5 home games in all competitions this term, averaging 2.00 goals per 90 minutes while conceding just 0.40 per game, and the visitors have won 2, drawn 2 and lost 2 of their 6 away games in all competitions.
Under 2.5 goals at 1.64 looks a solid bet on the overall score-line in this Europa League qualifying clash with Sheriff's structure and the occasion. Maccabi average 2.00 goals for per away game, but Both Teams To Score – No at 1.82 is also favoured here.
Playmakers could make the difference
- Jayder Asprilla has been in fine form for Sheriff, contributing 3 of their 8 goals in the last 5 games, while Loukou Jaures-Ulrich is the most likely danger man for the home side in this UEFA Europa League Qualification contest with 1 goal in 2 appearances in 2026.
- Dor Peretz has scored 4 goals in Maccabi's last 5-match run, which has seen the Yellow Submarines net 10 times, so he looks like the best option in the goal-scorer market.
