The Round 8 match of the group stage of the 2025/26 Europa League between Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) and Bologna (Italy) will take place on 29 january at TSC Arena in Bačka Topola (Serbia). Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Bologna: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv suffered a 0:1 defeat to Freiburg in the previous round, marking the home side's sixth consecutive loss in the Europa League. The team were shut out in four of those matches. The club also failed to score in the only group-stage match in which it managed to pick up a point. In total the team have 2 goals, the lowest tally in the tournament. The club also sit bottom of the standings in the main phase, with no chance of reaching the play-offs.
The club's management dismissed head coach Žarko Lazetić.
- At least one opponent failed to score in 6 of the team's last 8 Europa League matches.
- At home in this competition the team have a 13-match run (6 wins, 7 defeats).
- The club have conceded in 9 consecutive home Europa League matches.
Potential Maccabi Tel Aviv Lineup (4-5-1)*
Roey Mishpati – Itay Ben Amo, Eitor, Raz Shlomo, Ben Liderman – Roy Revivo, Itamar Noy, Sayed Abu-Farhi, Sagiv Yehezkel, Noam Ben Harush – Dor Peretz.
Bologna
Bologna, by contrast, are unbeaten in six consecutive Europa League matches. The team extended the run with a 2:2 draw against Celta in the previous round, coming back from two goals down. The team have now scored at least twice in a third straight Europa League match. It is worth adding that the club have kept a clean sheet in the main phase only once. With 12 points (3 wins, 3 draws), the team sit 15th in the group table. A place in the play-offs is secured for the club; chances of making the top eight remain, but even a win in the upcoming match would not guarantee qualification.
- Both teams scored in 5 of the team's last 6 Europa League matches.
- On the road the team have avoided defeat in 4 of their last 5 European away matches (2 wins, 2 draws).
- In the last 5 away matches on the international stage the club did not concede more than one goal.
Potential Bologna Lineup (4-5-1)*
Lukasz Skorupski – Nadir D'Zortea, Torbjorn Heggem, Nicolo Casale, Juan Miranda – Nikola Moro, Jonathan Rowe, Tommaso Pobega, Lewis Ferguson, Benjamin Dominguez – Tijs Dallinga.
Defender John Lucumi will miss the match due to injury.
Referee
Goga Kikacheishvili (Georgia)
Matches – 9 (International matches, 2025/26);
Shown yellow/red cards (including second yellows) – 37;
Average yellow/red cards per match – 4.1;
Shown straight red cards – 0;
Fouls per match on average – 21;
Penalties – 33%.
Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Bologna: Match Prediction
The head coach of the home side, understanding the lack of prospects in the tournament, already resorted to squad rotation in the previous match. Despite that, the team looked respectable against one of the main contenders in the group. We believe that in the final round the team will try to avoid a complete embarrassment and at least somewhat improve the impression left by an uninspired campaign. However, doing so will be difficult in any case. The team have huge problems in chance creation: by xG the club are third from bottom, and they have scored the fewest goals overall.
Bologna's chances of breaking into the top eight are borderline fantastical. We think that in this situation the team will not necessarily exert maximum effort and will try to conserve energy for the domestic championship, where a difficult match against Milan awaits. It should be added that the team look modest in attack on the road in European competition, scoring more than one goal in only 2 of 7 matches. But the team also allow very little in their own box.
Considering these facts, we predict the following.
Prediction: Under 2.5 goals
* The starting lineup shown for each team is the one they used in their previous match in this competition.
