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Maribor will welcome Botev Plovdiv to Ljudski vrt in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round on Thursday. The two teams met in Bulgaria last week, with Botev recording a 2-1 home win.
Anthony Ujah broke the deadlock in the ninth minute and Pijus Širvys leveled the score in the 19th minute. Substitute Nikola Iliev restored their lead in the second half as Botev registered their first win in a UEFA competition since 2017.
Both teams played their first competitive match of the season in the first leg. Interestingly, both teams had won two of their three friendlies while suffering a defeat.
The hosts have not qualified for the group stage of a UEFA competition since the 2017-18 season. Last season, they were eliminated from the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. The visitors did not play in the qualifiers last season and were eliminated from the second round of the Conference League in the 2022-23 season.
Maribor vs Botev Plovdiv Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams met for the first time last week.
- It was the fifth meeting against a Bulgarian team for the hosts while it was the first meeting against a Slovenian opponent for the visitors.
- The hosts are winless in their five meetings against Bulgarian opponents with four games ending in draws.
- Maribor have just one win in their last eight home games in European qualifiers, failing to score in six games in that period.
- Botev Plovdiv have suffered just two losses in their last 17 games in the Europa League qualifiers, with both losses coming in away games.
- The hosts have scored just four goals while conceding five times against Bulgarian teams in European competitions.
Maribor vs Botev Plovdiv Prediction
The Purples are on a six-game winning streak at home in competitive games and will look to overturn the deficit from the first leg in this match. Nonetheless, they are winless in their five meetings against Bulgarian sides and have failed to score in six of their last eight home games in European qualifiers.
The Canaries have failed to score in four of their last five appearances in European qualifiers. They have a one-goal lead on aggregate and are likely to play for a draw.
Considering the recent struggles of both teams in European competitions, a low-scoring draw is likely to ensue.
Prediction: Maribor 1-1 Botev Plovdiv
Maribor vs Botev Plovdiv Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Anthony Ujah to score or assist any time - Yes
