Premier League side Aston Villa will welcome Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv to Villa Park in what happens to be a crucial fixture in the UEFA Europa League. The hosts head into the game on the back of 2 wins and a solitary loss thus far in the tournament. Conversely, the visitors are winless in the tournament and will be desperate to grab 3 points at any cost.
Preview
The Unai Emery-managed side is the clear favorite courtesy of their good form and good home record in Europe. Villa began their campaign with a 1-0 win over Bologna and then defeated Feyenoord 2-0 in an away fixture. The Premier League side then lost their last game to Go Ahead Eagles to end their winning run.
Maccabi Tel Aviv are winless and have just a single point from the three games that they have played thus far. They played a 0-0 draw to PAOK in their opening game before losing 1-3 to Dynamo Zagreb and then 0-3 to Midtjylland.
Villa’s compact defending, coupled with perfect setup play and cut-ins inside the box, makes them a huge threat for the Israeli side.
"The most important thing is how he is responding on the field."
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) November 5, 2025
Unai on John McGinn's new contract at the club 🗣️
Head-to-Head
These two sides haven’t met before. Therefore, this crucial UEFA Europa League tie will be the first time that these two sides face off against each other competitively.
Team News
Aston Villa
The Premier League side has some major injury concerns heading into this game. Defender Tyrone Mings is ruled out with a hamstring injury. The other absentees include the likes of Emiliano Buendia, Youri Tielemans, Andres Garcia, and Ross Barkley
New summer signing Victor Lindelof is likely to start the game. Whether he starts at the heart of defense or as the right back remains to be seen. In terms of midfield, Aston Villa has Lamare Bogarde available for the game.
Harvey Elliot is also ready to make his start and will likely occupy the number 10 spot behind striker Ollie Watkins. As for the wideout players, Donyell Malen and Jadon Sancho will be eyeing to make their place in the starting XI.
Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen; Onana, Bogarde; Sancho, Elliott, Malen; Watkins
Team News
Maccabi Tel Aviv
For the visitors, all hopes will rely on skipper Dor Peretz, who has already notched up 8 goals this season. He is expected to lead the charge and will be eyeing his side’s first 3 points in the current UEFA Europa League campaign.
Manager Lazetic may tweak his formation to 3-5-2, which can see him bring in more firepower to the side. This will also help in adding an extra man to their midfield to stop the opposition from winning the second balls.
In terms of the defense, the pairing of Tyrese Asante and Roy Revivo will have a lot on their shoulders, as they will have to nullify Aston Villa’s attacking threat.
Predicted XI: Mishpati; Asante, Shlomo, Camara, Revivo; Belic, Sissokho; Davida, Andrade, Varela; Peretz
Where The Match Will Be Decided
Aston Villa is currently placed 10th in the standings after having scored 4 goals and conceded 2. This means that the team has managed to scrape off results but hasn’t lit up the league. This game can be a perfect opportunity for Unai Emery’s boys to build on their goal difference, as their opposition has scored just 1 goal in 3 games and has a net goal difference of -5.
When in possession, Villa will switch to their traditional 2-3-5 formation, which helps them create chances. The wide players know when to cut in and when to send in low crosses to target man Watkins.
Villa often manages to accumulate quite a few concerns, which helps them in increasing their xG in every game. Maccabi Tel Aviv will have to be awake and not doze off from the set-piece chances. For the visitors, they need to break Villa’s mid-line. If they are successful, then Zahavi’s pace and off-the-ball movement can be trouble for the Premier League side.
Match Prediction
Betting Odds: Aston Villa (1.2), Draw (6.5), Maccabi Tel Aviv (13) via BetMGM UK
The odds for the game are heavily in favour of the home side. They have simple odds of 1.2 to win the game. The odds for a draw are considerably high at 6.5, while a win for Maccabi Tel Aviv is placed at 13.
We predict Aston Villa 3-0 Maccabi Tel Aviv. The factors that come into play are Villa’s effective transitioning in the game. Their pacey wide players have the ability to break lines and produce perfect balls inside the opposition box. Maccabi Tel Aviv will have to rely on a low block to stop their opposition. But a single mistake while dropping deep against a fast counter from Villa can see them conceding a goal in no time.
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