Maccabi Tel Aviv wants to end the regular season on the right foot, in order to reach the top playoffs with an advantage over Maccabi Haifa. To do so, the champion will have to beat Hapoel Tel Aviv in a derby on Saturday (21:00), in a meeting where the yellow crowd will also return to Bloomfield.
Just before the coach meeting, Patrick Van Leven, Referring to a press conference to prepare for the game and said: “Immediately after the victory over Hapoel Haifa we started the preparations for the derby. We treat each game separately. It is a game that has more interest because it is a derby and this game we will have fans in the stands, so it becomes more interesting for the players Meet and feel the fans again in the stands. “
On the fans who will return to the stands in Bloomfield, he added: “We felt good about the 750 fans who came to Kiryat Shmona and it was not our 1,500 fans. So I think that if there are more yellow fans in the stands, the atmosphere will be better.”
The derby from the first round was Van Leven’s second game on the lines in the league, in which the Yellows won 0: 3. Towards the second derby, the team went a long way with the Dutch coach: “The players now understand my thoughts and ideas about football and they implement them well. I think it is a style of play that suits Maccabi and a style that our fans also like, because they see the players “But also in a very good defensive game.”
The brake Luis Hernandez Join the coach at Masat: “This is a very important game. It is clear to all of us how important this game is to the club and the fans. This derby comes at a good time for us. We are in good shape and we need to maintain that ability in this game as well and come ready for the playoffs. “
On the fact that in Spain he did not play in the playoffs, he said: “This is the first time in my career that I play a regular season followed by a playoff. In any case, I strongly believe in the ability the team has shown in recent months.
On the first meeting with fans he added: “It has been very exciting to play against fans in recent games. It is obviously not enough for us, we want to play against all our fans. Hopefully the government will approve more fans to come to our games and in the coming months we can play with more spectators in the stands.”
“I played a derby in Chihun but it was not in the first league,” said Hernandez. “In Malaga it was not like here against a city rival. It is exciting to play a derby for me. It is a very important game. Our mentality will be similar to what we have shown so far and we will do everything to do the It’s also in the game on Saturday. “