Stuttgart vs Maccabi Tel Aviv Prediction

🔊 In the sixth round of the Europa League, Stuttgart will host Maccabi Tel Aviv at the MHP Arena. The teams have different capabilities and, consequently, different objectives: the German club aims to secure a direct spot in the Round of 16, while the visitors are second to last and their playoff chances dwindle with each matchday. Stuttgart have a significant number of absentees, yet even under these circumstances, the hosts appear to be clear favorites for the upcoming game. In our prediction, we'll strive to determine the most favorable scenario.

Head-to-Head

📊 The teams are set to face each other for the first time.

Stuttgart Team Overview

🏆 In the November Europa League fixtures, Sebastian Hoeness's team improved their standing in the table. The Germans faced two Dutch clubs: they first convincingly defeated Feyenoord at home (2-0) with goals from El-Hannous and Undav. Then, the "Swabians" traveled to the Netherlands to face modest Go Ahead Eagles in Deventer. Stuttgart returned with three points (4-0), with Leveling netting a brace, and El-Hannous and Bouanani adding one each. Stuttgart now have 3 wins and 2 losses—9 points and sit in 12th place. A victory over Maccabi boosts their chances of breaking into the top 8 ahead of clashes with Roma and Young Boys.

⚪ Until last Saturday, Stuttgart had won all 7 matches at the "MHP Arena," but then Bayern Munich arrived and thrashed the hosts in the 13th round of the Bundesliga (0-5). The team has lost two consecutive rounds but still holds sixth place. On a positive note, Stuttgart advanced to the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal by defeating Bochum away (2-0). Besides an own goal, Deniz Undav scored another. The current trophy holders will face another 2. Bundesliga team, Holstein Kiel, away in the next stage in February.

Maccabi Tel Aviv Team Overview

🏆 The "Yellows" have struggled significantly on the European stage, managing just one point from their opening match in Greece against PAOK (0-0). This was followed by home defeats to Dinamo Zagreb (1-3) and Midtjylland (0-3). They then suffered away losses to Aston Villa (0-2) and Lyon (0-6). The team sits in 35th place with the worst defensive record, having conceded 14 goals while scoring just once. Žarko Lazetić's side has virtually no chance of reaching the top 24, which would grant them a spot in the round of 16. To even have a theoretical chance, they need to beat Stuttgart, Freiburg, and Bologna—a highly unlikely scenario—and even then, 10 points might not be enough to save the "Yellows".

🟡 Domestically, the reigning champions of the Israeli Super League are also facing challenges: Maccabi lost to leaders Hapoel away (0-1) in the last round. Lazetić's team is in third place with 27 points, trailing the top spot by five points. Assessing Maccabi's current form ahead of their match in Stuttgart, they have only one win in their last six games. The visitors have slim chances at the "MHP Arena".

Latest news

Stuttgart

🎙 Head coach Sebastian Hoeneß after the thrashing by Bayern: "This time, we didn't start the game as we planned. We needed to handle the situation with the first goal better—it clearly wasn't the start we anticipated. Then the team got into the game, showed passion, created chances, and put in a lot of effort—unfortunately, Nicolas [Nartey] was offside when we scored. The match could have taken a different turn then. At that point, the game was quite open. The second goal was decisive—it was when we completely lost our edge. We could have managed that situation much better. After that, the course of the match changed."

❌ The German club indeed has a significant list of absentees: Justin Diehl, Noah Darvich, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Silas, Luca Haakjes, Ameen Al-Dakhil, Stefan Drljaca, Pascal Stenzel, Yannik Keitel, Leonidas Stergiou, and captain Ermedin Demirovic.

Maccabi Tel Aviv

🎙 Žarko Lazetić after the loss to Hapoel: "I'm not satisfied with the result, but I'm pleased with how we played. I'm more optimistic now than I was before the match."

❌ Kristijan Belić, Denny Groper, and Sagiv Yehezkel did not travel with the team for the away game.

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

Marian Barbu has been appointed as the main referee for the match. In his last ten games, the Romanian official has averaged 3.9 yellow cards per match. The "Swabians" have received 15 cautions over five rounds (averaging 3 per match), while the "Yellows" have accumulated 12 (2.4). We're betting on over 3.5 total bookings, a scenario that has occurred in four of the hosts' five Europa League matches.

⚽ Goal Prediction

Considering the difference in class between the teams and Stuttgart's solid home performances (except against Bayern), those looking for high odds might consider betting that Maccabi Tel Aviv will not score. The Israeli club has only found the net once over five rounds, and that was in a home game.

🚩 Corners Prediction

The "Swabians" have earned 32 corners over five rounds, averaging 6.4 per game. The "Yellows" have managed just 13 (2.6). Given that Maccabi are likely to attack infrequently and thus rarely earn set pieces, under 10.5 total corners seems like a solid option, having been successful in nine consecutive Stuttgart matches.

Stuttgart need to approach this match with full focus, driven by several motivating factors: redeeming themselves in front of their fans after a home thrashing by Bayern, improving their goal difference (8:4), and boosting their chances for a direct spot in the Round of 16 by making it into the top eight teams. Maccabi will aim to finish the group stage respectably, but the gap in class and league standards is significant. Our prediction: Stuttgart to win with a -1.5 handicap. Despite an extensive list of absentees for the hosts, we believe they are capable of scoring three goals against the visitors – a 3-0 victory.