Next week the play-off season begins with yet another Tel-Aviv Derby, with the "match of the season" against Hapoel Beer Sheva the following week
Last night's dramatic derby win away against Hapoel Tel Aviv ushered in the opportunity for Maccabi Tel Aviv to return the favour at home in the very first week of the Israeli Premier League play-off season that begins next week. With all of the season's pre-playoff matches played and the pre-playoff league table established, the contestants and the order of the matches in the following ten matchweeks of the 2013/14 season play-offs themselves have now been finalised. Even before the derby, reigning champions Maccabi Tel Aviv had promised themselves the top spot in the pre-playoff table. And with their derby loss last night, Hapoel Tel Aviv have finished sixth, precisely the combination of one of the play-off's first week encounters, with Maccabi playing host. This turbulent opening to the play-off season will continue in matchweek 2, with first place (Maccabi) hosting second place (Hapoel Beer Sheva) for yet another "match of the season".
Maccabi Tel Aviv's first away match will be in matchweek 28, week three of the play-offs, and will see them travel north to face Ironi Kiryat Shmona in an attempt to make amends for their 2-0 loss to the former champions earlier in the season. A week later yet another northern club, Maccabi Haifa, will arrive at Maccabi's own Bloomfield Stadium, followed by three consecutive games on the road – Bnei Sakhnin, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Beer Sheva – in matchweeks 31 to 33. Matchweek 34 will see Bloomfield go yellow and blue again with a visit from Ironi Kiryat Shmona, but a week later Maccabi will hit the road once again for what will likely be their last visit to Kiryat Eliezer before Maccabi Haifa move to their new digs at Sammy Ofer Stadium. The following week, the week-end of May 17th, now fifth-placed Bnei Sakhnin will visit Bloomfield Stadium for the final match of the 2013/14 season.
Click here to see the entire play-off fixture schedule.
