Europa League Quali, 1st round, first leg, Thursday, 11.07.2024 at 20:00
This is by no means the first summer I’ve spent with my betting friends. Accordingly, I have already been able to gain valuable experience with the earliest phase of Europa League qualification over several years.
On Thursday, my attention falls on a Botev Plovdiv Maribor tip that sees the Bulgarians ahead, at least in the first leg. Especially as they have just completed a first-class transfer campaign by their standards
Botev Plovdiv will return to European club competition on Thursday after a one-year break. In the 2022/23 season, the club qualified for the UECL group stage for the first time in five seasons.
Under the management of Dusan Kerkez, the club set itself the goal of catching up with the really big teams in the country in the past season. However, a return to the international stage was only achieved in a roundabout way.
Although Botev only finished ninth at the end of the league season and ended the UECL play-off group with four consecutive defeats, the team still managed to secure their ticket to the EL qualifiers by winning the Bulgarian Cup, their first title since 2017
The Bulgarians now face a Slovenian team looking to reach the main round for the first time since the 2017/18 Champions League season.
Watch out: The Slovenian club had not made it into the draw pots of the UCL, EL or UECL on the subsequent six attempts.
Last season, the team failed to qualify for the Conference League after a disappointing third place in the domestic league prevented them from potentially reaching the top flight from the outset.
Personally, I don’t see many reasons to believe Maribor can make another deep push in 2024/25! Especially since the transfers made so far haven’t exactly knocked my socks off either
Plovdiv have a bit more quality for Thursday, which should be particularly noticeable in the build-up play.
James Eto’o – no relation to the legendary Samuel Eto’o – and Antonio Pereira should continue to lead the attack after their consistent performances in the 2023/24 season.
The Bulgarians have also strengthened their midfield with the signing of Nikola Iliev from Inter Milan, who will hope to make his debut for the club on Thursday.
Anthony Ujah will also be hoping to make his first appearance against Maribor following his move from Eintracht Braunschweig to Botev. Another new signing, Hans Christian Bernat, on the other hand, is now rated as first choice in goal!
But there are also some significant departures to report at Plovdiv!
For example, promising teenager Umeh Emmanuel, who scored 10 goals last season, has moved to FC Zurich, while goalkeeper Stefan Smarkalev has also left the club.
Nevertheless, the quality should be enough to enable Plovdiv to progress. Especially as the team played three test matches during the summer break, all of which they won.
After missing the preparations due to his participation in Euro 2024 with Slovenia, Josip Ilicic will be available again for FK Maribor next Thursday.
The experienced player missed a crucial penalty against Portugal in the round of 16, but should be available from the start in the first leg against Plovdiv.
After all, the long-serving Italy international scored eight goals and provided eleven assists for the club in the Prva Liga last season.
Nevertheless, I’m not expecting any miracles from him – and the home side should set the tone at the Hristo Botev stadium anyway
What makes a Botev Plovdiv Maribor betting tip so attractive in my eyes are the odds of one or the other betting provider without tax.
I won’t say “no” to attractive odds of around 2.50 for the Bulgarians, especially as they play at home and this can make the difference between victory and defeat for “smaller clubs” of this size.
What speaks in Maribor’s favor, however, is the fact that the club has been busy in recent weeks, playing a whopping six test matches – primarily against clubs they regularly come up against in these early qualifying rounds
Names such as Trnava (2:1), Buducnost (3:0), Egnatia (2:2) and Rapid Bucharest (0:4).
Meanwhile, the dress rehearsal for the first competitive match of the season took place last week against a Bulgarian club of all teams.
Maribor ultimately won 2:1 against CSKA 1948 Sofia! A good omen?
Conclusion: If the Botev Plovdiv Maribor odds for a home win weren’t so tempting, I could very well settle for a draw.
Maribor have been busy during the summer break, but have not made any major transfers.
The Bulgarians, on the other hand, are in a mood of optimism and with the self-confidence of having won the Bulgarian Cup, they should at least manage a positive first leg result.
Consequently, I’m using a sports betting app that we’ve tested in detail to try my luck with a win bet on Plovdiv
My tip: Victory Botev Plovdiv
