Maccabi Tel Aviv are drawn against Hapoel Haifa in the semi-finals of the "Toto" Cup
The "Toto" (League) Cup is reaching its final stages with just four clubs remaining in the mix: Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa, Hapoel Haifa and Ashdod FC. In the semi-final draw held this morning at the offices of the Israel Football Association at the National Stadium in Ramat Gan, Maccabi Tel Aviv were paired with Hapoel Haifa, the club that knocked them out of the competition quarter finals just two years ago. In the other semi-final fixture, Maccabi Haifa will square off against Ashdod FC, with the winners of the two contests advancing to the finals. The semi-final matches are expected to be held on either Tuesday or Wednesday, the 16th or 17th of October, with the final coming two weeks later. The venues for the two matches have yet to be determined.
After a year in hibernation, the "Toto" Cup resurfaced this season in a somewhat different format than in previous years, with the same geographical group stage but with the addition of a home-and-away quarter final. Maccabi Tel Aviv finished top of their Group B with seven points, after a draw with Maccabi Netanya and wins against Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Ra'anana. In the quarter final Maccabi dispatched Hapoel Petach Tikva without conceding, 6-0 at home and 0-2 away at the "Moshava" Stadium. Hapoel Haifa reached the quarter finals after finishing their Group A with the same seven points. Their first group tie against Bnei Yehuda ended in a draw, the second, a derby against Maccabi Haifa, in defeat. But two consecutive wins against Ironi Kiryat Shmona and Hapoel Acre lifted them into the group's third position with a ticket to the quarter finals. There they defeated Maccabi Petach Tikva both home and away by identical 2-1 scorelines.
