Birkirkara vs Maribor Prediction and Betting Tips
Birkirkara will welcome Maribor to the MFA Centenary Stadium in the second leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifying round on Thursday.
They met in the first leg in Slovenia last week, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Paul Mbong opened the scoring in the 31st minute and Ivan Brnić equalized for Maribor in the 67th minute from the penalty spot.
The hosts are back in the Conference League qualifiers after missing out last season. Interestingly, in the 2021-22 qualifiers, they were eliminated from the second round by a Slovenian team, Olimpija Ljubljana.
The visitors are in European qualifiers for the 15th season in a row, though they last qualified for the group stage in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League.
Last season they made it to the playoffs of the Europa Conference League qualifiers, suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat against CFR Cluj.
Birkirkara vs Maribor Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have met five times in all competitions, with their first meeting dating back to 2007 in the erstwhile UEFA Intertoto Cup. The visitors have enjoyed an unbeaten run against the hosts with three wins and playing a couple of draws.
- The hosts have failed to score in three of their five meetings against the visitors, including the two meetings at Thursday's venue.
- The hosts are winless in their last three games in all competitions, though they have suffered just one defeat at home in their last 13 games.
- The visitors are unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions, though five games in that period have ended in draws.
- The hosts have suffered just one defeat at Thursday's venue in their last eight European qualifiers. The visitors, meanwhile, have just one win from their last 11 qualifying games.
Birkirkara vs Maribor Prediction
The Stripes are winless in their seven meetings against Slovenian teams. They have been in good touch in home games in European qualifiers, with just three defeats in their last 15 games. They have just five wins in that period and have kept clean sheets in their last two home outings.
Vijoličasti have an unbeaten record against the hosts and will be hopeful of a positive outcome. They were slightly wasteful in the first leg, with just two shots on target from 11 attempts. They have just one win in their last 11 qualifying games, which is a cause for concern.
Nonetheless, considering the visitors' better record in the qualifiers and solid record against Maltese opponents, they are expected to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Birkirkara 0-1 Maribor
Birkirkara vs Maribor Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Maribor to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Maribor to keep a clean sheet - Yes
