Maribor will take on Sheriff Tiraspol for the first leg in the quarterfinals of UEFA Champions League qualification. The match will take place at Ljudski Vrt (Maribor) on Wednesday, July 20, 2018.
Marbor is rightly considered a Slovenian football symbol. They have already won 16 championship titles. It cannot be said, however, that the Violet has established such dominance over their competitors, Dynamo (Zagreb), and Red Star Stars. After their success in 2019, the favorite team gave the title to their rivals twice. They were 3 points behind Koper in the 2021/2022 season. They want to prove themselves in the international arena. The Champions League’s next group stage was the Slovenes’ last great success. The Slovenes also have not played in the fall in any of the less-rated European competitions.
Sheriff Tippaspol, with a few exceptions, dominates Moldovan football in 21st century. Yes. And they did well in international competitions as a representative of their country. They reached the Europa League group stage four times, but only managed to reach the third place. Even more surprising was the draw’s breakthrough. Tiraspol’s representative passed throught for Teutu and Red Star, Dinamo Zagreb, and Alashkert. Sheriff was also able to win victories over Shakhtar (in Madrid!) and Real Madrid (in Madrid!). The debutant, who scored 7 points, was 3rd in the Europa League playoffs. Even better, they managed to get started with 2-0 against Braga in Tiraspol. Portugal was a different story. The “yellow-blacks”, however, could not keep the handicap. They conceded twice in regular and lost in extra time. The qualification of Sheriff began with Zrinjski. Bosnia was held to a draw. In Chisinau, the second leg was decided in favor of Savic’s goal in the first half.
Both are the football champions of their respective countries and regularly participate in European cups. They had never met before, even at a friendly level. The bookmakers see the pair as equal and give the visitors a slight edge. It is evident that all will be decided in Moldova’s return match. We recommend that you limit your bet to “under 2.0 goals scored”.
Prediction: The match will be scored under 2.0 goals.
