One round before the end of the first round in League A South will start already tomorrow (Thursday) with three games. Kfar Shalem will meet Shimshon Tel Aviv, Maccabi Herzliya will host Shimshon Kfar Kasem and Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam will face M.K. Yeremiahu Holon. On Friday, the rest of the games will take place. Yavneh will host Marmorak at home, with the latter requesting a change of home team because their field is not ready, Hapoel Bekat Jordan will try to recover against Hapoel Herzliya, Maccabi Ashdod will host Maccabi Sha’areim, Eilat will face Kasseifa and Modi’in will meet MS. Dimona
Hapoel Kfar Shalem – Shimshon Tel Aviv (TA Sportek Darom 1, 16:00)
Both teams have armed themselves recently, each in a different position. Kfar Shalem added to its ranks Adir Khalifa, one of the standouts of last season in Maccabi Yavne, who will be at the disposal of Noam Shoham in the front. On the other hand, Haim Sirotkin took over the midfield player, Raul Gorshomov, who finished his career with Taiba youth from the northern district, and returns to League A South after a five-year absence. Kfar Shalem did not impress enough against Maccabi Shaariim in the last round, although they won 0:1 with a goal by Philip Mena, after a mistake by the goalkeeper, Roy Baigel. Apparently it’s not always ability that wins, but also luck, which is in the pocket of an entire village, but she will need much more than that this time. Shimshon Tel Aviv comes after a 2:1 loss to Dimona, and it is one of the six teams that suffered the most losses this season. It won’t be easy at all, certainly not in the warm home court of Kfar Shalem.
Maccabi Herzliya – Shimshon Kfar Kasem (Herzliya, 17:00)
A close game between two teams that have recently armed themselves with good goalkeepers. Herzliya added to its ranks Shahar Amsalem, goalkeeper of Hapoel Kalanswa until recently, while Itzik Schulmeister, one of the outstanding players of last season in Maccabi Ashdod, arrived in Kfar Kasem, the leader of the table, after playing against Maccabi Amidar Ramat Gan. The latter, managed to prove to Ashdod how much they missed when they threw him out last season, after he didn’t want to come up in the second half to face Hapoel Kfar Shalem, in the jarring 8:0 loss. After all, as part of the cycle, Kfar Kasem achieved a 0:3 victory and first in the league, against the same Maccabi Ashdod City. Herzliya comes to the match after a rather unsurprising 0:0 against the city rival, and the leader of the table. On paper, Herzliya has much better offensive tools than those available to Ismail Sarsour. Kfar Qasim will have to play smart in order not to lose the game.
Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam – MK Yeremiahu Holon (Ramla, 19:00)
A game between two teams whose front end is not particularly impressive. Erez Belfer’s men hit the ground running last weekend, after conceding a treble against Meironi Kasife, as the latter secured their second overall win of the season. Just before the meeting with Kaseifa, Belfer’s guys recorded two consecutive victories and felt that they were on the wave, but everything crumbled before their eyes, and they will have to respond with confidence in the meeting against the tough Holon. Shlomi Shlomo and his team recorded a draw result of 9 in number (!) last weekend, the highest figure in League A South, with only two wins and two losses. It’s not going to be a road trip for either team. Recently, Yoav Tzuri Shadi from Po’el Marmorak joined Beit Tel Aviv Bat Yam, and did not play a single minute this season, when he came off the bench in all six of his games last season.
Maccabi Yavneh – Hapoel Marmorak (Yavneh, 12:45 p.m.)
The main game. Yavne looks like a lion that preys on everything that moves in the Savanna region in League A South. On the other hand, Marmorak, as a wounded animal, will try in one way or another to escape and get the desired points against the roars of the local crowd. In the last game, Yossi Zozot saw his team trample Hapoel Keat Jordan from the top 0:3, it was a good game by all. Tal Benish is doing a great job at the back, so are Or Zozot and Ohad Edelstein. Omar Lekao, Nir Sharon, Bnei Natan, Yigil Ohana – all of them, without exception, were at their best. Yavne will continue to race until the end of the season, there is no doubt about that. Murmurk? Maybe it’s not worth hearing what happens behind the scenes at the Red Club from Rehovot. Only yesterday the team returned to practice, after all the players did not see a penny among all the false promises from one person, since there is no one else in the club besides him.
Hapoel Bekat Jordan – Hapoel Herzliya (Pat Moshva Dorumi, 12:00)
Hanan Azoulai and his apprentices were pushed into a corner last week, after suffering a crushing loss in the form of 3:0 to Maccabi Yavne. Azulai’s voice came out to his disciples, but they didn’t have the tools to handle the intensity of Yavne’s possession. Despite everything, the Jordan Valley is a quality team. It has good players who know how to cause problems for the opposition and have already proven it more than once this season. The modest club will try to recover, precisely against the leader of the table, which in the last two weeks has only obtained two points. Hapoel Herzliya added to its ranks Asi Goma, who was a Taiba player until recently. There are those who have hope in him, after all, he has already proven in the past that together with him it is possible to advance to the league (if you ask Hadera and Tiberias). The latter has yet to show a spark, but this is certainly a good opportunity to do so.
Maccabi City Ashdod – Maccabi Shaareim (Synthetiko in Ashdod, 13:00)
A meeting between two teams that lost in the previous round. Zvika Levy against Yigal Antavi. Both teams have also looked like ghosts in the last week, with neither showing any real football. Playing for more than 3 points, that’s for sure. In Ashdod, voices continue to be heard against the club’s management and there are already those who are looking forward to the next elections, to replace the one who is currently at the top. Until then, you should be busy with football and end the season on a good note. With the rejection of the local audience it can happen. On the other hand, Shaareim will look to “sting” and achieve victory. The less impressive squad of the blues from Rehovot, will have to spend extra to influence the mood in the match. Recently, Tom Yehezkel, a Hapoel Kfar Shalem player, joined the club, who started his career with Hapoel Jerusalem’s seniors when it was still playing in the National League.
Municipal Modi’in – Dimona Sports Club (Modi’in Ligad, 12:00)
What has not yet been said about Shai Maor’s apprentices. Modiin, the newcomer, the one who made history, does not find itself in the league yet. Some will say because of the naivety among the club, especially the players. Last week they recorded their sixth loss of the season, after 3:2 to Bnei Eilat, what’s more Modiin missed a penalty in the same game. Nothing is going their way this season and that is why they are among the four teams that lock the table so far. Modi’in, along with Sha’areim and Kfar Kasem, have only managed one league win so far. Now, when you go to face the strong Dimona, the chance of leaving all the points at home tends to be a very low percentage, unless Dimona comes to the game lacking desire. Roman Zulu and his apprentices achieved their fifth victory of the season and are close to one point from fifth place, leading to the top playoffs.
Bnei Eilat – Ironi Kaseifa (Eilat North Shore, 11:00)
Southern Derby, between Gedi Carmeli and Doron Meman. Both teams recorded a valuable victory in the previous round. Eilat needed it more than anything, certainly after conceding five goals to Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam. As Siyfa, with a zero budget, and after waiting long months for a few pennies from the local council, coolly achieved a victory at the expense of that Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam. It will be a game between one of the three teams that scored the most goals, and the team that scored the fewest in the league with nine in total. Although Eilat conquers a lot, it also absorbs quite a bit. So far no less than 32 goals have been scored in her goal. With the winds in Eilat, the balls can dance in the pair of goals.
