Tomer Havez
Moti Barshatsky (Haggai Michaeli)
Petah Tikva’s big derby is fast approaching and after the injury of Raz Stein from Hapoel, who in the best case will sit on the bench and play in the second half, it turns out that the city rival, Maccabi, also has quite a few problems. As of three days before the game, no less than three significant players failed to complete a full training session this morning (Friday) and coach Benny Lam is suffering from a serious headache ahead of the match.
Moti Barschatsky was injured in training yesterday and is suffering from pain in the twin muscle and apparently he is suffering from a strain, as he did not practice and will definitely miss the game. Petah Tikva is even afraid of a longer absence and maybe even the end of the season, when he is expected to undergo a photo shoot on Sunday. This is undoubtedly a serious blow when the midfielder records a tremendous season with a double-digit number of assists.
Tal Ben Haim also did not practice regularly during the week due to pain in his knee he remembered for the game against Hapoel Acre earlier this week, but at least regarding him, the team is trying to calm down and make it clear that the player as a whole is not overburdening himself and will be able to play. Apart from them, Idan Toklomati is also still ineligible completely and suffering from pain in his groin. As I recall, the striker was not in the squad against Hapoel Acre nor was he a regular participant in the youth team. This morning, he held an almost full training session and abandoned it at the goal kicking stage at the end.
Maccabi Pat is aware of the importance of the game and will want to take sporting revenge for the loss in the previous derby, in which Hapoel broke a streak of almost eight years without a win. The expectation is for 2,000 Maccabi fans to sit in the western stand, while on the other hand 3,000 Hapoel fans and even more are expected to occupy the eastern stand.
