Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa coach Barak Becher held a very difficult meeting for the players yesterday (Thursday) following the draw against Hapoel Hadera. Bacher went player by player and criticized him harshly, with the most criticism being that the team’s players do not show enthusiasm and aggressiveness as they showed during the beginning of the season. Bacher made it clear to the players that Demi, who thinks about next season, will find himself on the bench and made it clear that only “fighter” players will get playing minutes. “There is no doubt that this was one of the most difficult meetings that have been here in recent years,” said a player in the team, “there are few players that Barak Bakr passed over.”
Bachar is expected to make some changes to the lineup for the game on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Sport4) when Pierre Cornot and Dia Saba are expected to start in the lineup.
Bacher referred to the game against Kiryat Shmona and said that “after three league games we did not win, it is clear that we are coming home and must win.” The coach also talked about how the postponement of the game against Hadera meant that he only had three days to prepare the team for Kiryat Shmona: “I wish the game against Kiryat Shmona was yesterday, we will recover the players and arrive ready.” Bachar also referred to Hapoel Be’er Sheva, who came close to Haifa by two points: “Obviously, if we lose points, those behind us will win and get closer. We need to win and increase our level.”
Trivia
* The two teams have met 42 times in the Premier League, with Maccabi Haifa leading 15:21 in victories and another six games not decided.
* Maccabi Haifa won fourth place in the last three times they hosted Ironi Kiryat Shmona, who had not beaten the Greens away since April 2:1 2018. San Menachem then started in the Kiryat lineup while Roi Kehat in the Maccabi Haifa lineup.
* The champion comes after three league games without a win – something that happened to her for the first time since May-June 2020. Then, by the way, she had four games without a win (two losses and two draws at the start of the top playoffs, after the Corona break).
* Kiryat Shmona is the draw queen of the league, with 11 games that have not been decided. Nine of them ended in 1:1. Maccabi Haifa is at the other end of the scale, with only two draw results (both in the last three rounds).
* Dia Sheba’s last goal in the Premier League was against Kiryat Shmona, when in December 2018 he defeated Zigos Bartakos and gave Hapoel Beer Sheva a 1:2 home win in the 87th minute.
The composition of the groups
The games of the 22nd round:
Saturday, 15:00: Beitar Jerusalem – MS Ashdod (Sport3)
Saturday, 17:30: Hapoel Beer Sheva – Hapoel Jerusalem (Sport3)
Saturday, 18:00: Bnei Sakhnin – Maccabi Bnei Rayna
Saturday, 18:00: Nes Ziona section – Hapoel Haifa
Saturday, 19:30: Maccabi Haifa – Ironi Kiryat Shmona (Sport4)
Sunday, 20:15: Hapoel Tel Aviv – Hapoel Hadera (Sport3)
Monday, 20:30: Maccabi Netanya – Maccabi Tel Aviv