On Thursday, August 21, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dynamo Kyiv will play a crucial match in the first leg of the Europa League 2025/26 qualification playoffs. The Israeli champions, forced to play their home games in Serbia due to off-field reasons, reached this stage after eliminating Hamrun of Malta with a 5-2 aggregate win. This partly redeemed their Champions League elimination in the second qualifying round at the hands of Pafos in late July. With the dream of the top European competition now gone, Maccabi’s main goal is to beat Dynamo Kyiv and qualify for the Europa League for the second year in a row. Last season, Zarko Lazetic’s men failed to go beyond the league phase, finishing 29th with just six points. Dynamo Kyiv also started their European journey aiming for the Champions League, but their hopes lasted only 180 minutes, as they were knocked out by Pafos, the same side that eliminated Maccabi. Motivated by redemption, Oleksandr Shovkovskyi’s men will approach this two-legged tie with the sole objective of securing a place in the Europa League group stage for the second consecutive year. However, they must do better than last season when they finished 34th out of 36 teams with only 4 points.

Maccabi Tel Aviv's Recent Form and Key Stats

Maccabi Tel Aviv are in good form, coming off three consecutive victories. After defeating Hamrun 2-1 and 3-1 in the Europa League third qualifying round, they also beat Hapoel Jerusalem 2-1 in the Toto Cup last weekend.

The Yellows have a solid home record, winning or drawing seven of their last eight games played in front of their fans. Head coach Zarko Lazetic can count on an almost complete squad ahead of the clash against Dynamo Kyiv. Up front, the attacking burden will once again fall on Elad Madmon, who has already scored 2 goals in 5 matches this season.

Dynamo Kyiv's Recent Form and Key Stats

After their disappointing 2-0 defeat against Pafos in the Champions League third qualifying round, Dynamo Kyiv bounced back with a convincing 4-1 away victory over Epitsentr in the Ukrainian Premier League. With that win, Shovkovskyi’s men now lead the domestic league with maximum points after three rounds.

The Ukrainian champions are enjoying an excellent run of form, having lost only 2 of their last 26 matches across all competitions. Furthermore, they have won or drawn 16 of their last 17 away games, showing they are a team capable of dictating play even far from home. The only notable absence is versatile midfielder Valentyn Rubchynskyi, who scored 3 goals last season.

Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Dynamo Kyiv Prediction and Tactical Overview

This Europa League playoff first leg between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dynamo Kyiv looks very balanced. Both teams are expected to approach the game cautiously, likely leaving the qualification battle wide open for the second leg.

Maccabi Tel Aviv are unlikely to keep a clean sheet, as they have conceded in every match so far this season, showing defensive weaknesses compensated by their attacking firepower. Dynamo Kyiv, on the other hand, have also conceded in their last four matches, including against weaker opponents like Epitsentr and Rukh Lviv. However, their attack has been very effective, scoring 9 goals in their last three games.

For these reasons, the BetMines algorithm leans toward a balanced game with goals on both sides. It would not be surprising if Madmon and Vanat, the top scorers for Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dynamo Kyiv respectively, end up on the scoresheet.

• Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Dynamo Kyiv prediction from the BetMines algorithm is that both teams will score at least one goal with a 56% probability.
  
  
• Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Dynamo Kyiv prediction from the BetMines algorithm is that at least one of the two teams will fail to score with a 44% probability.

Probable Lineups Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Dynamo Kyiv

MACCABI TEL AVIV (4-3-3): Mishpati; Asante, Stojic, Shlomo, Revivo; Peretz, Sissokho, Shahar; Davida, Madmon, Nicolaescu. Coach: Zarko Lazetic

DYNAMO KYIV (4-3-3): Neshcheret; Tymchyk, Popov, Mykhavko, Vivcharenko; Buyalskyi, Brazhko, Shaparenko; Yarmolenko, Kabayev, Vanat. Coach: Oleksandr Shovkovskyi