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Maribor play host to Vojvodina at the Ljudski Vrt Stadium in the first leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round on Thursday. Having suffered a heavy defeat against Ajax in the Europa League second qualifying round last week, Božidar Bandovic’s men will look to begin their quest for a Conference League spot on the front foot.
Maribor suffered a disappointing first-round exit from the Europa League qualifiers as they were beaten 4-3 on aggregate by Bulgarian side Botev Plovdiv.
Ante Simundza’s side had to work their socks off in the Conference League second qualifying round as they scraped a 4-3 aggregate win over Universitatea Craiova.
Maribor head into Thursday’s tie off the back of a 1-1 draw with NK Bravo in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, where they have picked up one win and one draw in their opening two games.
Elsewhere, Vojvodina were dumped out of the Europa League qualifiers in the second round as they fell to a 4-1 aggregate loss against Dutch heavyweights Ajax.
Having suffered a 1-0 first-leg defeat at the Johan Cruijff Arena on July 25, Bandovic’s men were outclassed in the return leg one week later as they fell to a 3-1 loss on home turf.
Vojvodina were in action last weekend as they fell to a 3-1 loss against Cukaricki in the Serbian Superliga, where they have picked up three points from their opening two games this season.
Maribor vs Vojvodina Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the fourth-ever meeting between Maribor and Vojvodina, with Simundza’s men picking up three wins and one draw in their previous three encounters.
- Maribor are unbeaten in four of their last five games across all competitions, claiming two wins and two draws since mid-July.
- Vojvodina have failed to win four of their last five competitive away matches, losing three and picking up one draw since the first week of May.
- Maribor are unbeaten in their last 10 competitive home games, claiming eight wins and two draws since March’s 2-1 loss against Kalcer Radomlje.
Maribor vs Vojvodina Prediction
While Maribor have failed to win their last two games, they will be backing themselves against a Vojvodina side who have struggled to get going on the road. Given the gulf in class and quality between the two sides, we are backing Simundza’s men to secure a comfortable victory in front of their home supporters.
Prediction: Maribor 3-1 Vojvodina
Maribor vs Vojvodina Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Maribor to win
Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been at least three goals scored in each of the previous three meetings between Maribor and Vojvodina)
Tip 3: First to score - Maribor (The hosts have opened the scoring in four of their last five games)
