(Photo: Danny Maron)
In the shadow of the professional preparations for another league game on Saturday, this time against Maccabi Petah Tikva, Maccabi Haifa is also working hard behind the scenes – in order to strengthen the staff in the January transfer window. The Greens, as published here on the website, marked Noble Omar as a central target and began talks with the aim of attaching him.
The salary of a nobleman, who earns about 300,000 euros in Apoel Nicosia, is not expected to be an obstacle for Haifa, but of course the Cypriot club has weight in the negotiations – after Noble signed a two-year contract without a release clause in the summer. However, the contact is interested in returning to Israel as early as January and is expected to discuss the issue with the heads of Apoel. The club from Carmel hopes that Epoel will not face difficulties and may even make the transition easier, as this will save the player’s high salary.
Still without a noble Omar of course, Maccabi Haifa, the leader of the Premier League table, will be hosted on Saturday by its deputy, Maccabi Petah Tikva (19:50, Moshava Stadium). After four consecutive games in which he came up with the same lineup, Barak Bachar said at the press conference that he is expected to rotate at 11. However, it looks like the attacking trio will remain the same with Charon Cherry, Dolev Haziza and Nikita Rokavica.
While no changes are expected in the attack, in the center of defense, Eid Habashi may get another chance. At the same time, if Bachar decides to give rest to one of the link players, Yuval Ashkenazi is expected to be the one to join the squad. Ernest Mabuka has abandoned his last training session due to tenderness in the twin muscles, and he will try to train again today. Yannick Wildshot has not yet fully recovered from a hamstring injury, although he came in as a substitute against Hapoel Tel Aviv, and Becher may prefer not to risk him.
