Maccabi Tel Aviv Faces CSKA Sofia in Crucial European Comeback Match

Maccabi Tel Aviv is currently playing an away match against CSKA Sofia in a European competition, seeking to overturn a 3-0 first-leg defeat. The Israeli team, coached by Kenny Miller, aims to secure a European season for the fourth consecutive year by achieving a remarkable comeback. Maccabi started their season strongly with convincing wins over Hapoel Be'er Sheva (3-1) and Sheriff Tiraspol (5-0, 1-0), but the heavy loss to the Bulgarian side has raised concerns amid expected player departures and the need for further preparation before the domestic league begins in less than two weeks.

CSKA Sofia enters the match with confidence, buoyed by their three-goal advantage and home crowd support. They recently won 3-0 against September Sofia in the Bulgarian league's fourth round. Historically, Maccabi has faced Bulgarian teams in European competitions, including Litex Lovech in 2010/11 and Botev Plovdiv in 2024/25, winning both encounters. The current match will test if Maccabi can break this winning streak against Bulgarian opponents.

The game kicked off with the following lineups: Maccabi Tel Aviv started with Ofek Malika, Tyrese Asante, Mohamed Ali Kamara, Raz Shlomo, Roy Revivo, Issouf Sisoko, Dor Peretz, Ido Shahar, Helio Varela, Osher Davida, and Astr Sukler. CSKA Sofia fielded Fedor Lapukhov, David Lima Pastor, Facundo Rodriguez, Teodor Ivanov, Andrey Jordan, Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Bruno Jordao, Stefano Sensi, Max Avong, Louanis Pitas, and Leandro Godoy.