Wednesday's Champions League predictions including Maribor vs. Sheriff Tiraspol

HJK Helsinki vs. Plzen (Wednesday, 5.00pm)

HJK Helsinki will aim to avoid a fourth successive second-round elimination in the Champions League qualifying stages as they welcome Viktoria Plzen to the Bolt Arena for Wednesday's first leg.

The Finnish champions saw off RFS in a nerve-wracking penalty shootout to advance, while the visitors begin their journey to the group stage in the second round.

We say: HJK Helsinki 0-1 Viktoria Plzen

Despite not being the favourites on paper, HJK Helsinki have enjoyed regular competitive football over the past few weeks, while Viktoria Plzen may be feeling somewhat deflated after an underwhelming end to pre-season.

Nevertheless, the importance of Hejda and Kasa's returns to the visitors' backline cannot be understated, and Bilek's side should have what it takes to claim a slender advantage at the Bolt Arena.

Maccabi Haifa vs. Olympiacos (Wednesday, 6.00pm)

Both getting their quest for a place in the Champions League under way, Maccabi Haifa and Olympiacos clash at Sammy Ofer Stadium on Wednesday.

The teams contest the first leg of their second qualifying round tie with the Israeli champions seeking to edge closer towards a group stage appearance for the first time in over a decade; their Greek counterparts last made it that far two years ago.

We say: Maccabi Haifa 1-2 Olympiacos

Though it has not always gone to plan in terms of results, Olympiacos have prepared thoroughly for their latest Champions League campaign, and they have enough attacking talent to score at least once on Wednesday. Haifa have proved even more sluggish in pre-season, so may end up trailing before next week's return leg.

Dynamo Kiev vs. Fenerbahce (Wednesday, 7.00pm)

Both getting their quest for a place in the Champions League under way on Wednesday, Dynamo Kiev and Fenerbahce meet for the first leg of their second qualifying round tie.

The teams convene in Lodz, as Dynamo have been displaced from the Ukrainian capital by the ongoing war there, with the winners after next week's return going on to face Austria's Sturm Graz in the third round.

We say: Dynamo Kyiv 2-1 Fenerbahce

Though their preparation has been far from ideal, many of Dynamo's key figures were together with Ukraine over the summer, and the unifying force of conflict at home should see them put in a relentless performance on Wednesday.

The reputation of Jorge Jesus is formidable for a reason, though, and Fener are likely to strike back at some stage; taking their opponents back to Istanbul within reach of a second-leg comeback.

Ferencvaros vs. Slovan Bratislava (Wednesday, 7.00pm)

Ferencvaros will be bidding to claim a first-leg advantage when they welcome Slovan Bratislava in the second qualifying round of the Champions League on Wednesday night.

The home side thrashed Tobol 5-1 in the first qualifying round to advance to this stage, while Bratislava navigated their way past Dinamo Batumi, running out 2-1 winners on aggregate.

We say: Ferencvaros 2-1 Slovan Bratislava

We are expecting this to be a close two-legged affair, with the home match for each side set to be key. Bratislava will fancy their chances of scoring on Wednesday, but we are expecting Ferencvaros to emerge victorious in the first leg of the contest.

Maribor vs. Sheriff Tiraspol (Wednesday, 7.15pm)

The second qualifying round for the 2022-23 Champions League campaign will continue this week with Maribor set to welcome Sheriff Tiraspol for their first leg encounter.

Both teams will be pushing to get things started with a strong performance in this one to provide themselves with the best possible start heading into the next match.

We say: Maribor 0-1 Sheriff Tiraspol

Both of the games that these two teams played in the previous round of the competition led to close encounters, and there is no reason that this one should be any different.

Neither team has been free-flowing with the goals yet, which will add pressure to the attacking players here, but the quality and European experience of the visitors could see them just edge things.