Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa will host Betar Jerusalem tomorrow (Monday, 20:45) for a game that will close the first round for them. Haifa wants to continue the positive momentum with another victory and enjoy a fresh squad after most of the regular players rested against Feyenoord on Thursday. To be Josh Cohen, Bogdan Planic, Ali Muhammad, Charon Shari and of course Noble Omar.
San Menachem, who suffers from pain in his foot, did not take part in the morning training and he will not be on the squad for the game. The one who is expected to start in the left defensive position is Sean Goldberg, with Ofri Arad to serve alongside Planich in the center of defense. Raz Meir is set to start as a right-back, with another option being for Jose Rodriguez to play in that position. Dean David and Godswei Donio, who did not start the game in the Netherlands, are also scheduled to be at 11 against Betar. The absences, coach Bachar is expected to add to the squad tomorrow two players from the club’s youth team.
Barak Bachar said today: “We have finished the European episode and we want to continue the positive momentum in the league. We are playing against a great club, a good team that has good players. There will be a very big experience with a full stadium and we want to keep letting the crowd enjoy us.”
Beitar Jerusalem
When it is ahead of the red line by only one point, Betar Jerusalem will go to the away game, perhaps the most difficult in the league. The team from the capital wants to avoid a third loss in a row, but knows that for that to happen all the players must be at their peak.
At his first press conference as the new-old coach, Yossi Mizrahi said of the opponent: “I will try to do my best according to what I saw in previous games. Maccabi Haifa? Everyone has to go through this hell. By the way, I always liked to play there. When there is a game against 30,000 people “A real football player has to believe in himself. Their advantage is clear, but football is the only game where the good team does not always win.”
The coach continued: “I played for the Israeli team against Spain away. The result should have been 1:25 for the Spaniards, a once-in-a-lifetime game, but it ended in them equalizing in the 94th minute. I do not think the differences tomorrow are like in the same game. “For Maccabi Haifa, this is a deadly team, but first of all you have to believe. Know where the opponent’s least good points are and try to go for it.”
Trivia
* To date, there have been 121 league meetings between Maccabi Haifa and Betar Jerusalem (118 in the senior league, two in the national league). The total balance: 48 wins for Maccabi Haifa, 42 for Betar Jerusalem and 31 draws.
* There were two meetings in the past in the 13th round: Maccabi Haifa won 2: 3 against Teddy in December 1994 with a pair of Haim Revivo, and in November 1999 the teams parted ways at 1: 1 in the same stadium after Giorgi Gahukidze answered with a goal by Asi Domb.
* Maccabi Haifa comes after four victories with 16 goals. The last time she scored in four rounds was in October-November 2004, and then she had even one more goal: 0: 5 over Bnei Yehuda, 1: 4 over Sakhnin, 1: 4 over Hapoel Beer Sheva and 1: 4 over Hapoel Haifa.
* Noble Omar and Din David have conquered in all the last four rounds. Noble equaled his best streak in the league and will now be able to improve it and also retire at the top of the scoring table, while David with a new personal best.
* Betar Jerusalem’s balance sheet this season: two identical wins of 0: 3 compared to four losses at zero.
Saturday results:
Bnei Sakhnin – Maccabi Petah Tikva 0: 1
Hapoel Jerusalem – Hapoel Haifa 1: 1
tax. Ashdod – Urbani Kiryat Shmona 2: 0
Maccabi Netanya – Hapoel Tel Aviv 1: 1