Two Israeli clubs go into must-win Conference League play-off second legs on Thursday evening with contrasting fortunes reflected squarely in the betting markets, according to a report from ONE on the odds set by Winner for both ties.
Hapoel Tel Aviv, who held Atalanta to a goalless draw in the first leg in Bergamo, are rated firm underdogs to complete the job. Winner has the Italian side at 1.40 to win the return, with a Hapoel victory paying 4.90 and a 90-minute draw priced at 3.90 — numbers that make plain just how much respect the Serie A club still commands despite failing to break Hapoel down first time out.
The second leg is being played not in Tel Aviv but at the DVTK Stadion in Miskolc, Hungary, the venue Hapoel have used for their home European fixtures amid the security-driven restrictions that have kept Israeli clubs from hosting continental matches at home since late 2023.
Maccabi Tel Aviv face a steeper on-pitch task but get a marginally kinder verdict from the bookmakers. The yellow-and-blue trail 2-1 on aggregate after Kevin Behrens and a Anto Grgic penalty put Lugano ahead in Switzerland, with Ido Shahar's reply the only Maccabi contribution. Winner nonetheless installs Maccabi as narrow 2.10 favourites for the second leg, with Lugano at 2.70 and the draw priced at 3.10.
Maccabi's home fixture is also being staged outside Israel, at the Adjarabet Arena in Batumi, Georgia, continuing the pattern of Israeli clubs relocating their European "home" nights to neutral countries.
The stakes for both clubs are straightforward: winners of Thursday's ties advance into this season's 36-team Conference League league phase, while the losers are eliminated from Europe entirely, with no parachute into a lower continental competition at this stage of the draw.
ONE's report frames Hapoel as the clearer underdog of the two Israeli sides, while noting Maccabi's slight favouritism is built on home advantage and Lugano's need to protect a slender lead rather than any wide gap in current form.
Kick-off in both matches is set for Thursday evening, with Israeli football fans facing the prospect of two simultaneous continental deciders and, per the bookmakers, very different paths to victory.
