- FC Sheriff Tiraspol are the form side with 6 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat in their last 10 matches in all competitions.
- Maccabi Tel-Aviv have 5 wins, 2 draws and 3 defeats from their last 10 in all competitions.
- Sheriff have an impressive home record with 4 wins and 1 draw from 5 games, they've averaged 2.00 goals per game scored and just 0.40 conceded.
Two in form teams face off at Sheriff Stadium
Both of these clubs arrive into Thursday's fixture in decent form with FC Sheriff on a 2-game winning streak (W2) and Maccabi on a 2-game streak of their own (W2). This is a tough one to call as there is no head-to-head record to lean on and with both teams arriving with similar form in recent matches, we feel that this should be a pretty tight contest. The bookies give Maccabi a slight edge at 13/10, but Sheriff are 2/1 and the draw sits at 53/25, which is a little bit surprising given the two sides have been almost identical recently. It's a fixture that Sheriff can nick at home and both teams could be a little cagey as the stakes are high in UEFA Europa League Qualification. Sheriff have been solid all around and Victor Mihailov has really tuned his team into a compact, disciplined outfit since taking over as manager on 1 June 2025. They line up in a flexible 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 system and look to stay compact in the center, creating numbers on the counter-attack and trying to press from the front when out of possession. Maccabi are a high-tempo side who like to play with the ball and their new boss Kenny Miller has had a positive impact on the club since his arrival on 1 July 2026. They usually set up from a back four with either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system and create numerical advantages in wide areas and through midfield, rotating the ball and forcing mistakes.
Sheriff can cause an upset
This fixture has all the ingredients to be a tasty affair and the styles of play will clash with Sheriff looking to control the match through shape and the transition game, whilst Maccabi will try to crank the tempo and pin them back. Sheriff are the more impressive side in all-competitions and they have a more solid foundation as a unit. Under 2.5 goals at 16/25 looks like a decent punt with Sheriff's structure and the importance of the qualifier, but Both Teams To Score - No at 41/50 also appeals.
Jayder Asprilla has been lively for Sheriff, scoring 3 of their 8 goals across the last 5 matches, whilst Loukou Jaures-Ulrich is Sheriff's main Europa League qualifying threat with 1 goal in 2 appearances in UEFA Europa League Qualification 2026. Dor Peretz has 4 goals in his last 5 appearances for Maccabi as they've scored 10 goals in the same 5 matches.
