Only four players in the current Maccabi Haifa squad won the club’s last trophy, five years ago at Teddy Stadium: Neta Lavie, Eid Habashi, San Menachem and Taleb Twataha (who has since toured Europe). Lavi and Twataha even started in the team in the final game against Maccabi Tel Aviv, which ended in a 0: 1 victory. Five years later, the Greens’ journey will begin anew – and in the midst of an ever-intensifying championship battle, Haifa will have to pause and advance to the quarterfinals.
- Tonight, 20:15, live broadcast on 5 LIVE: State Cup – Maccabi Haifa against Hapoel Umm al-Fahm
Tonight (Saturday, 20:15, live on 5 LIVE), Haifa will meet Hapoel Umm al-Fahm from the national league, with a particularly short roster: the three removed from the derby events – San Menachem, Eid Habashi and Bogdan Planich – will be left out, with the fourth removed Dolev Haziza will be absent For another reason: accumulation of yellow cards. And if all that is not enough, Nikita Rokavica and Charon Sheri are both positive for Corona, Yuval Ashkenazi is injured and Taleb Twataha was also injured in doubt due to another injury.
so what are we doing? Barak Bachar will have to expand his rotation. Rami Gershon, who only a week ago was on the verge of passing on loan to Bnei Yehuda, will step up in the center of defense alongside Ofri Arad (the first time he has been in the Greens’ lineup for seven months); Noble Omar and Muhammad Awad, the two new acquisition players, will launch an attack alongside Goodsway Donio.
As you may recall, last year Haifa met Umm al-Fahm in the quarterfinals, after the Reds knocked Maccabi Tel Aviv out of the cup in the eighth round. So, one goal from Jordan Shoa was enough for her to move on to the next stage. Bachar reminded his players in the concluding conversation of the sensation caused by the opponent on the way to the previous meeting. The club summed up the spirit towards the game with the words: “We do not want Cinderellas on our backs. We will get there in all seriousness.”
Estimated composition: Josh Cohen; Ernest Mabuka, Ofri Arad, Rami Gershon (Maor Levy), Raz Meir; Jose Rodriguez, Neta Lavie, Muhammad Abu Fani; Noble Omar, Muhammad Awad and Godswai Donio.
