Tomer Havez
Assaf Nemani (Ahmed Morra)
With two wins in the opening games of the Toto Cup, Hapoel Hadera will host the newcomer Bnei Raina tonight (Monday, 20:00) knowing that a victory will secure a place in the semi-finals of the Toto Cup on the way to a meeting with Maccabi Netanya or Hapoel Beer Sheva.
“As I mentioned, we are currently paying less attention to the results,” said the coach Asaf Nemani. “There is no doubt that the last two victories give us confidence and that is very important, but we must take the Toto Cup with a limited guarantee and understand that we do not have all the tools at our disposal to see Hapoel Hadera’s ability. We are missing players who have not yet reached their peak fitness, and two more key positions where we need to add to the team. We will approach this game as seriously as any game.”
Regarding the expectations and the desire to qualify for the semi-finals, Nemani said: “Putting the team together and arriving on August 20 as ready as possible for the opening round against Hapoel Jerusalem – these are the goals that stand before our eyes. The Toto Cup is important for the club in terms of breaking records and the financial income, which is important for a club like Hapoel Hadera. We will refer to Rayna As seriously as we treated Kash and Sakhnin.”
In Hadera, during the day they will try to transfer the contracts of Muhammad Hatib and Saar Fedida, who were not available to Nemani in the previous games. The club will try to raise funds in order to add at least one more midfielder and possibly a reinforcement player to the attacking part. If they pass the inspection, Hativ and Fedida are expected to start in the lineup. The one who is in doubt is the striker Steven Alfred, who will pass a fitness test before the start of the game and after that it will be determined if he will be included in the squad and the team.
