Nice vs Maccabi Tel Aviv Match Analysis and Prediction

Trailing by a goal from the first leg last week, Nice will be looking to overturn their deficit against Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday and reach the group stage of the Europa Conference League.

The French outfit only entered the competition at this playoff stage, but could be set for a quick exit if they cannot get the better of their Israeli opponents at the Stade de Nice.

A slow start to the new season continued for Nice in last Thursday’s first leg, as they came away from Tel Aviv with a 1-0 defeat when Stipe Perica scored for the hosts in the 74th minute.

After a fifth-placed finish under new PSG boss Christophe Galtier last season, Nice began their 2022-23 campaign uner the guidance of former coach Lucien Favre, and the Swiss manager’s second stint at the club started with successive draws against Toulouse and Strasbourg.

Following their loss in Israel, Favre was under pressure to produce a result at the weekend against Clermont, who narrowly survived relegation in May, but Nice are now on a four-game winless run after another 1-0 defeat, in which they finished the game just nine men.

Meanwhile, Maccabi Tel Aviv re-appointed a former head coach this summer, and the ex-Watford manager Vladimir Ivic has made quite an impact at the club so far.

Maccabi brushed aside both Zira and Aris Thessaloniki in the earlier qualifying stages, beating the former 3-0 on aggregate before securing a two-goal first-leg advantage over the latter in their third round tie.

Despite Aris fighting back and winning the second leg in Greece, Maccabi still managed to progress to the playoffs, and following their European victory at Bloomfield Stadium last Thursday, Vladimir Ivic’s side went on to claim a 5-0 victory in their Israeli Premier League opener at the weekend.

Nice vs Maccabi Tel Aviv head to head

The two teams have previously met on just one occasion in the first leg of their Europa Conference League qualifying playoff-round tie, where Maccabi Tel Aviv claimed a 1-0 home victory.

Maccabi Tel Aviv 1-0 Nice 18/08/22

Nice latest home form

Nice have recently failed to keep a good run of form at home, having won just one of their five most recent matches. They played out a 1-1 draw with Strasbourg in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and conceded seven.

Nice 1-3 Lille 14/05/22

Nice 1-1 Cercle Brugge 09/07/22

Nice 0-2 Fulham 16/07/22

Nice 1-0 Torino 30/07/22

Nice 1-1 Strasbourg 14/08/22

Nice latest away form

Nice have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just two of their six most recent matches. They lost 1-0 to Clermont Foot 63 in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored two goals and conceded seven.

Benfica 3-0 Nice 15/07/22

Roma 1-1 Nice 23/07/22

Toulouse 1-1 Nice 07/08/22

Maccabi Tel Aviv 1-0 Nice 18/08/22

Clermont 1-0 Nice 21/08/22

Maccabi Tel Aviv latest home form

Maccabi have recently been on a good run of form at home, having been unbeaten in their four most recent matches. They managed to defeat Maccabi Bnei Raina 5-0 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored eight goals and kept clean sheets.

Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-0(P) Maccabi Netanya 14/07/22

Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-0 Zira 28/07/22

Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0 Aris 04/08/22

Maccabi Tel Aviv 1-0 Nice 18/08/22

Maccabi Tel Aviv 5-0 Maccabi Bnei Raina 21/08/22

Maccabi Tel Aviv latest away form

Maccabi have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having lost two of their three most recent matches. They lost 2-1 to Aris Limassol in their last away game in the Europa Conference League. In their last five matches, they have scored 10 goals and conceded five. 

Maccabi Haifa 1-3 Maccabi Tel Aviv 10/05/22

Hapoel Tel Aviv 0-2 Maccabi Tel Aviv 21/05/22

Westerlo 2-1 Maccabi Tel Aviv 02/07/22

Zira 0-3 Maccabi Tel Aviv 21/07/22

Aris 2-1 Maccabi Tel Aviv 11/08/22

Nice news

Jean-Clair Todibo and Mario Lemina were both dismissed on Sunday, but their resultant suspensions only apply domestically, so Favre may consider fielding the pair.

Aaron Ramsey has appeared as a substitute in Nice’s first three league game, and will be pushing for a start on Thursday alongside striker Andy Delort.

Maccabi Tel Aviv news

Stipe Perica backed up his winner in the first leg by bagging a brace on Sunday, so he will expect to start ahead of Djordje Jovanovic up front.

Veteran pair Sheran Yeini and Eran Zahavi will provide a wealth of experience for the visitors, with Yeini captaining at the heart of a back three.

Prediction and Odds

Nice have scored just twice in their first four competitive matches this season, and in need of at least two to turn the tie around, they may come short against accomplished opponents.

That said, we are backing Maccabi Tel Aviv to progress to their third straight European group stage appearance.

Odds: 1 2.26 X 2.05 2 2.15

Probable outcomes

Nice 0-1 Maccabi Tel Aviv

Nice 1-1 Maccabi Tel Aviv

Nice 1-2 Maccabi Tel Aviv

Nice 1-3 Maccabi Tel Aviv

Nice 2-2 Maccabi Tel Aviv