On Thursday night, Maribor and HJK go head-to-head in the Europa League third qualifying round first leg, as both teams look to gain an edge for the second leg in Helsinki.
The Slovenian side head into this clash on a poor recent run of form, as they have won just one of their previous five games in all competitions.
Potrjujemo odhod iz Ljudskega vrta: Nino Žugelj se po vzorčni razvojni poti, od nogometne šole do članskega dresa, v donosnem prestopu seli na Norveško. Naslednja ostaja Bodø/Glimt.Nino, hvala za vijol’čne trenutke in srečno v nadaljnji karieri!#MiSkupajEnoSmo pic.twitter.com/hhcnmvsAts— NK Maribor (@nkmaribor) August 1, 2022
Potrjujemo odhod iz Ljudskega vrta: Nino Žugelj se po vzorčni razvojni poti, od nogometne šole do članskega dresa, v donosnem prestopu seli na Norveško. Naslednja ostaja Bodø/Glimt.Nino, hvala za vijol’čne trenutke in srečno v nadaljnji karieri!#MiSkupajEnoSmo pic.twitter.com/hhcnmvsAts
In fact, a 2-1 league defeat at Koper last time out means that Maribor has lost three of their last five competitive matches. They have also failed to score in three of their previous five matches in all competitions.
To make matters worse, Maribor has a poor recent record in the Europa League, failing to win any of their previous five matches in the competition.
They have also already suffered a second qualifying round exit from the Champions League this season, so it is fair to say their results in European competition have been underwhelming.
The visitors are currently in second place in their domestic league, only behind league leaders KuPS, courtesy of an inferior goal difference. However, their recent form has been inconsistent, as they have won three and lost two of their previous five matches in all competitions.
Like their hosts, HJK have already exited the Champions League this season, suffering a second qualifying round defeat by Viktoria Plzen.
Also, like their hosts, HJK’s recent record in the Europa League is not great, as they have won just one of their last ten matches in the competition. Last season they exited the competition at the play-off stage, suffering a 6-2 aggregate against Turkish giants Fenerbahce.
Neither of these teams has great recent records in Europe, so, unsurprisingly, Forebet predicts that this first leg game will produce a low-scoring draw.