Maribor vs Botev Plovdiv prediction 18/07/2024 | Europa League

• Date: 18/07/2024 
• Competition: Europa League
• KO: 20:15 CEST
• Venue: Ljudski vrt (Maribor)

A place in the second round of Europa League qualifying is up for grabs at Ljudski vrt on Thursday as Maribor takes on Botev Plovdiv. 

Maribor vs Botev Plovdiv Betting Tips: BTTS / Over 2.5

Botev returned to European competition with victory in the first leg, having not featured in Europe since failing to qualify for the Europa Conference League in the 2022-23 season.  Maribor advanced further in that same competition last year and are now aiming for a return to the Europa League group stage, which they last reached in 2017.

Trailing 2:1 from the first-leg, Slovenian hosts Maribor now face a tough-test on Thursday as they look to recover a one-goal deficit against their Bulgarian visitors.

An entertaining contest saw both teams create plenty of chances, and another high-scoring outcome seems likely this week.

Maribor have seen BTTS in nine of their last 11 matches played since April while eight of their ten most recent contests also saw at least three goals scored.

Botev make the trip to Slovenia ready for their first away Europa League contest since 2017. The visitors have also seen plenty of high-scoring contests in recent months with six of their last nine games seeing BTTS.

On the road, those numbers become even more convincing with the Bulgarians seeing BTTS in each of their last four away games. Over 2.5 goals were scored in ten of Botev´s last 11 away games played since the turn of the year.

While Maribor will fancy their chances of turning the tie around, I´m confident both teams can score in a likely high-scoring occasion. BTTS is my preferred pick, while I´ll also put a stake on at least three match goals scored.