Gent will be hoping to mount a comeback when they host Maccabi Haifa in the Europa Conference League. Last week, the Greens defeated the opposition 1-0 in the opening leg of the competition thanks to a goal from Frantzdy Pierrot. He became the first player from Grenada to score in a European championship’s knockout stages.
Preview (Gent vs. Maccabi Haifa)
Gent has struggled to find success, having lost six of their last seven competitive games. It includes their opening four this month. They failed to win any of their first seven since the start of the year. In a disheartening but narrow one-goal loss against Israeli team Maccabi Haifa last week, De Buffalo only managed to put three of their twenty shots on goal, adding to the pressure on manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck. But that pressure had already subsided when Gent defeated Eupen 2-0 on the road in the Belgian Pro League. There were goals from Hong Hyun-Seok and Matisse Samoise on either side of halftime.
Gent, who moved up to fifth place in the Belgian Pro League standings. They will now focus on the Europa Conference League in an attempt to make it to the round of 16. Last season, De Buffalos were defeated by eventual winners West Ham United in the quarterfinals. Vanhaezebrouck’s team, who have won their last five home games by an overall score of 18-1. They will fancy their chances of recovering their one-goal deficit on Wednesday. They are unbeaten in their last 10 home games in the Europa Conference League.
After defeating Gent last week in all competitions, Maccabi Haifa was unable to make it four wins in a straight as they were held to a 1-1 tie in the Israeli Premier League on Sunday by their city rivals, Hapoel Haifa. Adi Kinda, a January acquisition, gave Hapoel Haifa the lead in the fifteenth minute. Tommy Yosefi scored what turned out to be a vital equalizer shortly before the hour.
Team News
As they continue to heal from their injuries, Gent must continue to manage without Paul Nardi (broken leg), Sven Kums (ankle), Daisuke Yokota (knee), and Andrew Hjulsager (unspecified). But Jordan Torunarigha, a center-back, made the matchday squad last weekend after recovering from an ankle injury, and he could play on Wednesday. Hugo Cuypers was sold to the Chicago Fire earlier this month, and Tarik Tissoudali, Laurent Depoitre, and Momodu Sonko will now compete for the first attack position.
Regarding Maccabi Haifa, ailments have ruled out Dolev Haziza (Achilles), Eric Shuranov (ligament), Ilay Hajaj (abdominal), and Mahmoud Jaber (hamstring), while Sun Menahem is questionable because of a concussion. Nevertheless, Pierre Cornud is eligible for selection having missed the first leg due to suspension. Kenny Saief may be recalled in favor of the French left-back.
Gent 1-1 Maccabi Haifa
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