- Recent form: Lugano's last 10 all-competitions record is 8-1-1, while Maccabi Tel-Aviv's is 5-1-4. Lugano beat Maccabi Tel-Aviv 2-1 in the UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 1 day ago. Ido Shahar is Maccabi's highest scorer in UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 with 1 goal in 1 game, and Roy Revivo has 3 assists in Maccabi Tel-Aviv's last 5 matches in all competitions. Kevin Behrens is Lugano's red-hot talisman, with 6 goals in 5 UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 matches.
A tight game in Georgia
Maccabi Tel-Aviv form
Maccabi Tel-Aviv have failed to convince in their 2026 UEFA Conference League Qualification run so far, splitting their last 3 games with a defeat to PFC CSKA Sofia, a defeat to Lugano and a 3-1 win over CSKA Sofia. They are a team that can cause problems, as evidenced by their 3-1 win over CSKA Sofia, but Maccabi Tel-Aviv have also shown a tendency to wobble.
Their 3-1 win over CSKA Sofia would have been a confidence blow heading into Thursday's game.
Lugano's approach
Maccabi have scored an average of 2.00 goals in all-competitions this season (20 in 10), which is a great return, but their 3-1 win over CSKA is a concern, as is their overall poor recent record (5-1-4). Kenny Miller has done well with Maccabi since his July 2026 appointment, his hybrid possession-and-direct style with a set-piece threat is a good one for the game.
- Mattia Croci-Torti has done a solid job at Lugano since his appointment on 20 September 2021.
- His patient 4-2-3-1 style, which is full of structure, pressing bite and vertical thrust, has seen the Bianconeri take the lead in this tie with their 2-1 win last time out.
- Lugano's all-competitions run of 8-1-1 over the last 10 games is good enough to warrant a victory here, even with only 0.90 goals conceded per game.
A Lugano lean
Lugano's recent dominance in this competition, the confidence from their 2-1 victory over Maccabi, and the fact that the odds are identical for both sides (2.57) all point to a Lugano win in this game. I don't think that they will blow Maccabi away, however, as the stats suggest this could be a close game.
Under 2.5 goals at 1.91 is a bit tight for a game, but it is also the right price for this game as both sides have an equal number of games against each other in this season's competition so far. Lugano's 2-1 win, their form and the freshness of the H2H should make this an exciting game, 'Both teams to score – Yes' comes in at 1.65.
