CSKA Sofia take a 3-0 lead into the second leg after a dominant first-leg win
Macccabi's best run in Europe came in 2023-24 when they made the Conference League Round of 16
Recommended bet: CSKA Sofia to win @ 11/10 with LiveScore Bet
CSKA Sofia welcome Maccabi Tel Aviv to Stadion Vasil Levski on Thursday evening with one foot already in the Europa League play-off round after a comprehensive 3-0 victory in last week's first leg.
Hristo Yanev's side produced an impressive display in Batumi, taking control through Max Ebong's ninth-minute opener before Leandro Godoy doubled the advantage 20 minutes later.
Joel Zwarts completed the scoring in stoppage time to leave CSKA with a commanding three-goal cushion.
CSKA have also made an excellent start to their domestic campaign, collecting 10 points from their opening four Parva Liga matches.
They followed a 5-4 Europa League qualifying victory over Qarabag with a 2-1 league win over Botev Plovdiv before beating Septemvri 3-0 on Sunday.
Maccabi face a huge task in Sofia. Kenny Miller's side had previously cruised through their opening qualifying ties, including a 6-0 aggregate victory over Sheriff Tiraspol, but they were comprehensively outplayed in the first leg.
The latest CSKA Sofia vs Maccabi Tel Aviv odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Team news
CSKA coach Yanev is likely to retain a settled side after an unbeaten start to the domestic season.
Ebong and former Inter Milan midfielder Stefano Sensi should feature alongside captain Bruno Jordao, while Jean-Philippe Gbamin is expected to continue in central defence.
Zwarts has scored in two of his last three appearances and will compete with Godoy and Ioannis Pittas for a place in attack.
Angelo Martino was forced off during Sunday's victory over Septemvri, with Andrey Yordanov expected to deputise at left-back if required.
Maccabi will be without Moldova international Ion Nicolaescu, who remains sidelined with an ACL injury.
Abu Farchi is expected to lead the attack alongside captain Dor Peretz, with Farchi having scored four times in as many competitive appearances this season.
The stats
CSKA Sofia won the first leg 3-0 in Batumi and have collected 10 points from their opening four Parva Liga matches.
CSKA have won four and drawn one of their last five competitive matches.
Maccabi Tel Aviv have won three of their last four competitive matches, losing the other 3-0 to CSKA.
Maccabi scored nine goals across their last three competitive matches before their first-leg defeat.
Abu Farchi has scored four goals in his last four competitive appearances.
The latest CSKA Sofia vs Maccabi Tel Aviv odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Prediction
CSKA are in a commanding position after their outstanding first-leg performance and their strong start to the domestic campaign suggests they are well placed to finish the job in front of their own supporters.
Maccabi have plenty of attacking quality and cannot afford to sit back given the size of the deficit.
Their previous qualifying results, including a 5-0 victory over Sheriff , demonstrate that Miller's side are capable of scoring goals, but overturning a three-goal deficit against a side that has conceded just once across its last three matches is an enormous challenge.
The hosts also have momentum on their side. CSKA have scored 13 goals across their last five competitive matches and have already beaten Maccabi convincingly.
Maccabi should make this a more competitive contest on Thursday and could find the net, but CSKA's home advantage, recent form and three-goal cushion make them the stronger side to progress.
Score prediction: CSKA Sofia 2-1 Maccabi Tel Aviv
