Raz Amir
Aitor Karanka and Eran Zahavi (Radad Jabara)
Maccabi Tel Aviv will host Maccabi Haifa tonight (Tuesday, 20:30) in front of a full Bloomfield Stadium. In the previous game between the teams, the yellows won 0:3 in a very impressive display, in what was also Oscar Gloch’s last game in the team. Tonight, Gabi Kanikbowski or Parfa Gaiagon will fill Gabi Kanikbowski’s place, while on the other side, Dan Beaton will continue, the midfielder who impressively started the upper playoffs and in the two games against Maccabi Netanya and Hapoel Jerusalem scored two goals and scored one himself.
Aitor Kranka was debating in the last 48 hours when it comes to the teams in the midfield, both because Eyal Golsa recorded a very good game against Hapoel Jerusalem, and also because he is very fond of Kanikowski’s tactical abilities. Even Rarsh Ilia gave him a bit of a headache after he came on well in the game at Teddy and trained properly since returning from the Romanian youth team. However, the tie will fall between Parfa and Kanikovski as things stand, and between Golsa and Dan Glazer when there should be no other changes unless the Basque prepares a surprise.
“I may be preparing a new surprise,” the Maccabi Tel Aviv coach said before the game in an interview with ONE, when he was asked about the intriguing match-up against Maccabi Haifa. “Of course I won’t say what I planned, but we are ready for any scenario and prepared ourselves well for what Maccabi Haifa will do. Have I read the reports that they will come up tonight with three brakes? No. The only report they told me about him is that their coach is leaving at the end of the season,” he said with a smile.
Karanka did prepare the Yellows for both of Bacher’s formations, whether he would go with three defenders or whether he would continue with a 4-3-3. The players received special emphasis when it comes to closings and also regarding the form of the pressure game advocated by the coach. Maccabi Tel Aviv does not want to think too far ahead, but they know that a victory will reduce the difference to seven points and when there is another game between the teams after that, and meetings with Hapoel Beer Sheva, they have no reason to consider the championship fight as closed. Something that will obviously change if they don’t win tonight.
For Cranka, in any case, the upcoming games are very interesting. He is under test and Mitch Goldhar would very much like, according to estimates, to see good results against Maccabi Haifa, Hapoel Beer Sheva and of course a win in the state cup so that his mind rests on the fact that the Basque coach is the right man to lead Maccabi Tel Aviv next season as well. These days, Goldhar and his representative, Jack Angalidis, who is in Israel, continue to interview foreign candidates for the position of CEO when the decision has already been made and the person who will arrive will also have experience in the field of football and the preferred model is undoubtedly that of Ben Mansford.
