Sheran Yeini, who is leads the list Maccabi’s players in terms of appearances in European, representing the club in European competitions 83 times, faced the media ahead of the Conference League Playoff first leg against Ceje. The 36-year-old remained adamant that both him and his teammates will be prepared for the match against the Slovenians: “Like we always do, we approach every game separately, we don’t look too far ahead, we have the next match ahead of us and we have a new opponent, a game plan and would like to be dominant and aggressive” Yeini said ahead of Celje. “We are playing at home and expect to do a good job. We studied their team, we know their players and style of play. A team like Maccabi must always be dominant and have the opponents respond to us rather than respond to the other team. We respect every opponent, as every team that reaches the Playoff stage is a good team and deserves to be at that stage. Last season Nice didn’t find it easy against Maccabi as the return leg reached extra time. We are very professional, and know it will be a tough match so if we do our job the way we should I hope we could advance.”
When asked about his personal situation, Yeini who is playing his 19th season at the club, added: “I am feeling in good shape, enjoying every moment I have on the pitch and appreciate it as well. I work hard and take myself to the edge whilst challenging my teammates. So far it is looking good, and I am still feeling relevant. As for my position in the squad, I always believe in myself and I am very calm about it. I proved in the past that I can find my place in the squad and intend to do so this year as well.”
Yeini, who won no less than 14 trophies during his career at Maccabi including 5 league titles, said ahead of the start of the 2023/24 campaign: “I strongly believe in this team. The points we lost last season were at matches we shouldn’t have dropped points at. If we would have done our jobs properly, we would have reached the money-time part of the season with a good chance of challenging for the title. It was our fault, in matches like Kiryat Shmona away when we hit the post and the crossbar or Ness Ziona. It doesn’t mean we are not a good team, as the players here are good players. We have new and very interesting players, a new coaching staff with different tactics that players connect to. We draw a lot of confidence from our training sessions and our matches so overall I am positive.”
