Two days after recording a 2-0 win in the Tel Aviv derby, Maccabi coach Vladimir Ivic spoke ahead of Tuesday’s game against Hapoel Haifa at Sammy Ofer which will begin the second round of the Playoff.
With a 12-point-lead at the top of the table, Maccabi travel to Sammy Ofer and face a side they beat 2-0 on May 30th.
“We have a game against Hapoel Haifa which is the second one against them in the playoff. The first game wasn’t an easy, the result was a 2-0 win but it was a difficullt match. They created some chances and proved after the game they are prepared for this stage of the competition as they only lost just once and that was against us. We know what we want and we know what we need to do – to be ready and give the maximum for this game”.
“Just like every game and every time, we must remain focused from the beginning until the end and our target is as always – three points. Hapoel Haifa have their goal, so do we, but I think that our target is bigger. It will be an interesting game and a tough one like the previous match and we will see what happens”.
Rikan: We want to take a significant step towards our target
Avi Rikan spoke ahead of Tuesday’s game against Hapoel Haifa as the veteran midfilder who scored the opener in Saturday’s 2-0 derby victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv said:”We are expecting a tough match against a side which made our lives difficult earlier this season. We have confidence after the victory in our previous game but once again there is a tough 90 minutes ahead of us tomorrow. We have to be ready, prepare as much as possible in the two days we had between the two matches as we want to take a significant step towards our target”.
