Match outlook: Maccabi Tel Aviv aiming to steady the ship at Bloomfield
Maccabi Tel Aviv return to Bloomfield Stadium on 15 December in search of a response after a turbulent run of results. The Tel Aviv side arrive with the weight of expectation: Group position, statistics and bookies all point toward a home victory. They sit third in the table with 27 points from 13 matches, a strong goals tally of 29 scored and an eye-catching shots profile that underlines their attacking thrust — 197 total shots and 73 on target across the season. Yet recent results tell a more jagged story; European and domestic defeats, including a 4-1 loss to VfB Stuttgart and a 0-6 reversal to Olympique Lyonnais, have dented momentum and confidence in the short term.
Hapoel Petah Tikva come to Petah Tikva as the visitors with a stubborn, draw-heavy identity. Sitting 10th with 13 points, they’ve turned a high number of matches into stalemates — seven draws from 13 — and have shown resilience away from home with several low-scoring affairs. Their away form reveals moments of solidity but not many match-winning flashes: just two wins all season and a recent 4-0 defeat at Hapoel Tel Aviv underlines defensive vulnerabilities when pressed.
Trends that matter: history, form and goal patterns
The head-to-head earlier in the campaign was emphatic: Maccabi dismantled Hapoel Petah Tikva 4-0 back in September, a result that still echoes in expectations. Statistically, both sides offer angles for punters. Maccabi’s home matches have produced both teams to score in roughly 71% of their fixtures, while Petah Tikva’s away matches have seen both teams score in about 57% of games. Over 2.5 goals is also a frequent feature in Maccabi’s matches (over 2.5 in 9 of 13), so there’s a clear tendency toward open contests when Tel Aviv attack on home soil.
The markets reflect the gap: bookmakers price a Maccabi win at 1.40 (about a 71% implied chance), a draw at 4.45, and the away win at 6.60. Those odds mirror form, fixtures and the weight of home advantage at Bloomfield. For bettors wanting context on timing your plays in goal markets, consider reading this detailed guide: The right time to place bets on goal markets. And for the all-important discipline around staking and decision-making, a useful read is How to have emotional control when placing bets?.
Prediction and betting suggestion
Given the weight of evidence — home advantage, season-long attacking output from Maccabi and a previous 4-0 victory in the H2H — the most straightforward call is to back Maccabi Tel Aviv to win. However, the match profile also suggests goals from both sides are likely: Maccabi’s home fixtures frequently finish with both teams on the scoresheet, and Petah Tikva have shown they can nick goals in tight games despite dropping points.
Betting suggestion: Goal market — Both Teams to Score (Yes). This selection leverages Maccabi’s attacking propensity at Bloomfield and Petah Tikva’s knack for finding the net in draws and away matches, giving a balanced play between value and probability while avoiding the heavily short-priced home win.
