- CSKA Sofia are unbeaten in their last 5 matches, winning their last 2 in a row.
- Maccabi Tel-Aviv are the form team, winning 4 and drawing 1 in their last 5 (all comps).
- Ioannis Pittas has scored 3 goals in 4 UEFA Europa League Qualification 2026 matches for CSKA Sofia.
Tight affair expected in Tel-Aviv
PFC CSKA Sofia will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to 6 matches when they take on Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the UEFA Europa League Qualification 2026 on Thursday. CSKA Sofia are coming off the back of a 3-2 home win over PFC Botev Plovdiv 1912 in the Parva Liga 2026/2027 last week and a 1-0 home victory over FK Qarabag in this competition a week prior. CSKA Sofia have a solid record of 5 wins, 3 draws and 2 defeats in their last 10 (all comps), so they will arrive in Tel-Aviv with their tails up and difficult to beat.
Maccabi are the clear favourites for this one, priced up at 1.62, while CSKA are 5.5 and the draw 3.65. The home team are certainly the form side, but the visitors are unbeaten in 5, so this may be a proper European affair. Maccabi are winning bets, but CSKA are capable of frustrating the Israeli side for large portions of the match.
CSKA Sofia can keep it tight
Maccabi are in red-hot form, winning 4 straight and 6 from their last 10, so there are better than even chances that they'll get a result here. However, CSKA Sofia can put up a fight and I feel there will be a tightness to this game that should be reflected in the overall result. It's the perfect fixture for the visitors, who can overcommit in certain areas and clog up Maccabi's passing lines.
CSKA Sofia have won 1, drawn 2 and lost 1 of their 4 away matches in all competitions, conceding just 2 goals on the road at a rate of 0.50 per game. Maccabi have won 2 and lost 1 of their 3 home matches in all competitions, scoring 8 goals at a sharp rate of 2.67 per 90 minutes.
Go for goals at the lower odds
This game pits two differing styles against each other with Maccabi's width and structure against CSKA's narrow overloads and high press. If CSKA break Maccabi's first press, this could open up fast, but if they don't, Maccabi's wing-backs should be able to pin them back and control the tempo.
Under 2.5 goals and BTTS No both sit at 1.98 and I'm happy to take the unders here. A 1-0 win for Maccabi is the most likely outcome in the correct score market as there's enough of a gulf in quality between the two sides for the home side to squeeze a goal through.
Ioannis Pittas top scores for CSKA Sofia in UEFA Europa League Qualification 2026 with 3 goals in 4, while Sayed Abu Farkhi leads the way for Maccabi with 2 goals in 2. Abu Farkhi has 4 of Maccabi's last 12 goals in their last 5, so he's the main finishing outlet for the hosts. Joel Zwarts has also been clinical for the away team, scoring 2 of CSKA's 4 goals in their last 5.
