Doron Ben Dor
Maccabi Haifa players celebrate at the end (Omri Stein)
In a special mood after the 1: 2 victory in the cup against Maccabi Petah Tikva in the eighth stage of the cup final that provided the team with a comfortable draw on paper against Hapoel Afula from the national league, Maccabi Haifa aims to continue the positive momentum and beat Maccabi Netanya tomorrow (Saturday, 19:15) In order to finish the regular season in first place.
This is a game with different ambitions. The Greens want to return to the top, even temporarily, since the derby between Maccabi and Hapoel Tel Aviv will open later (21:00). On the other hand the Diamonds are aiming to win a victory that could guarantee them a ticket to the top playoffs.
The one who managed to avoid risking a fifth yellow, which would have prevented him from appearing for the game of the season, is Bogdan Planic, who received a ticket against Petah Tikva in extra time, and he will miss the first game in the top playoffs. The left defender will return to San Menachem, which will open at the expense of Rami Gershon.
Taleb Twataha could be out for three weeks following a groin injury. Neta Lavie will also return to the squad when it seems that one of the two, Jose Rodriguez or Muhammad Abu Fani, will get a rest. This will allow Chiron Cherry to play under the striker while Dolev Haziza and Noble will play on the wings.
Whoever came down to the bench is Yannick Wildshot. In Haifa, they are convinced that Nikita Rokavica will gradually return to playing and scoring ability and make his contribution. The fact that for the first time they will be able to reach and encourage about 5,000 fans in Sami Ofer is very exciting for the team and players in the face of the fact that the crowd in the cup game was very active and encouraged non-stop even when the team was behind. Maccabi is very satisfied with the fact that six players have been invited to the squad of Willy Rotensteiner.
“This is the last game of the regular season, we want to finish with a win and continue the momentum from the cup. Everything is done to win. I’m glad the total staff is almost full and there are options for rotations. We saw in the last game that players got off the bench and helped win. We will make sure to do it on Saturday as well, “he said Bachar Ahead of the game.
Dolev Haziza He added: “It is a very difficult game, they are fighting for the playoffs but we have other goals and we will do everything to win. The truth is that everyone is talking about the audience returning to the locker room, it pushes us forward and it is insane and helpful. I’m already waiting for them to let in more. ”
