Maribor and Zulte Waregem will face off in the Europa League on Thursday.
Zulte Waregem will hope that it manages to take advantage of home field advantage against a team that has struggled defensively in its first two games. Maribor was destroyed 5-2 at home against Rubin Kazan and was then taken down 3-1 against an inexperienced Wigan Athletic team in Wigan.
Zulte Waregem has not fared much better through two games in this tournament. The team managed a 0-0 draw with Wigan in its opener before being completely dominated by Rubin Kazan a few weeks later; that game ended 4-0 in favor of the Russian club.
Rubin Kazan is slated to play Wigan and is the favorite to win that match. If that outcome takes place then Wigan would remain with four points in the standings. A win from Zulte Waregem would bring the team level in points with a chance to overtake the English side with another win against Maribor in a few weeks. Meanwhile a win from Maribor would put the pre-tournament group favorites back into the race for second. A loss would essentially eliminate the team from a top two finish.
Prediction: Both sides are in desperate need of points and will likely try to take advantage. Maribor has been woeful defensively throughout this tournament with eight goals against but its offense has been better than the Belgian side's. Look for Maribor to wind up on top in this game with a 1-0 scoreline against Zulte Waregem.
Start Time: 3 p.m. EST
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