Doron Ben Dor
Mavis Chibuta with Assaf Ben Dov and Dudu Dahan (official website of Maccabi Haifa)
Maccabi Haifa will try to establish its position at the top of the league and open a three-point gap over Hapoel B’Shlosha when it hosts MS Ashdod tonight (Monday). At 20:30, it will host Ran Ben Shimon’s team The Greens have not won this season yet, but in Haifa they are aware that after two draws in the league, the team must return to the winning track to open a gap on the opponent from the south again.
Barak Bachar preferred to hold the tactical meeting at the hotel where the players will gather to make the final preparations for the field. Yesterday in the concluding training, the coach chose to leave his trainees in suspense for what appears in the squad. According to the training, Bachar tried a number of options regarding the relationship he would develop alongside Ali Muhammad and Muhammad Abu Fani, with the choice being between Neta Lavi and Maor Levy, who both practiced in the stationary situations. Chiron Cherry may have returned to full training but it does not appear that Bachar will take unnecessary risks and Cherry who has just recovered from injury will come off the bench.
Another player who will open on the bench and is due to receive first minutes is new acquisition player Mikael Alphonse, however Raz Meir will continue as a right-back in any case. In the center of defense for the time being, Bachar tends to prefer Ofri Arad over Sean Goldberg, but it is not inconceivable, as in the game against Hadera in the Cup, that if Goldberg announces that he is one hundred percent qualified, he will rise by 11.
Apart from these two dilemmas, nine other players are safe in the squad, including Mavis Chibuta, who is eager to play in front of 27,000 greens who have secured their place tonight. “We are expecting a game against a stubborn and trained opponent who has always made life difficult for us. “Ashdod is the only one we have not won this season and it is important that we do so tonight and move towards our goal, which is to maintain the championship crown,” the team said.
Estimated composition: Josh Cohen, Raz Meir, Bogdan Planich, Ofri Arad (Sean Goldberg), Jose Rodriguez, Ali Muhammad, Muhammad Abu Fani, Neta Lavi (Maor Levy), Omer Atzili, Dean David and Mavis Chibuta.
