On Saturday the two U19 league leaders, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa, meet at Kiryat Shalom. Seating is limited
On Saturday Maccabi's Tel Aviv's Under-19s, now holding down the second spot in the Israeli U19 Premier ("Toto") League, will welcome to Kiryat Shalom training ground league leaders Maccabi Haifa for an intriguing encounter to be broadcast midday on Israel's sports channel 55. A victory for Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar" will mean recapturing the top spot, with their northern namesakes slipping into second. Head coach Ziv Arie's "Shachar" go into the match after two topsy-turvy weeks, the first a stunning 0-8 away victory over Sektzia Nes Tziona and the second a disappointing 1-3 loss to Ironi Kiryat Shmona, their first home defeat of the season. Maccabi Haifa too saw a run of victories put to an abrupt end last week after a 1-0 loss to the same Sektzia Nes Tziona. In short, both sides will go into the match seeking to improve their fortunes and the result is likely to be an outstanding encounter.
So far "Shachar" have racked up eight wins, two losses and a draw in their first eleven league encounters. Maccabi Haifa have the one extra win instead of a draw giving them a two-point lead at the top. But The "Greenies" haven't won at Kiryat Shalom since September 2008 and last year their defeat here was a comprehensive 4-0. "Shachar"'s attack is also the most prolific in the league, with 38 goals scored in eleven outings. Leading the list are striker Yonatan Cohen with eleven goals and midfielder Matan Hozez with seven. Their defence is equally effective – the seven goals they've conceded is lowest in the league, and almost half of them came last Saturday against Kiryat Shmona! Reason enough for optimism at the yellow end of the pitch, but where clashes between these two titans go, anything can happen. One thing though is for certain, when the two clubs meet that between them have shared the U19 title for the past six years, expect the sparks to fly!
Unfortunately, the club have been authorised to allow only 350 spectators to enter the ground and these instructions will be strictly adhered to. Fans are therefore advised to arrive at Kiryat Shalom as early as possible to ensure their seats at the match. We must also advise our fans that anyone leaving the ground during the course of the match will not be allowed to re-enter.
Here follows a list of the rest of the other weekend Maccabi Youth Division matches:
Under-17s – away at Bnei Sakhnin (Sakhnin, 12.50pm)
Under-16s – derby away at Hapoel Tel Aviv (Wolfson training ground, 8.30am)
Under- 15s Team 1 – away at Beitar Tel Aviv (Ofer Park, Ramle, 8.30am)
Under- 15s Team 2 – at home to Maccabi Haifa (Kiryat Shalom, artificial pitch, 10.20am)
Under -14s Team North – at home to Hapoel Haifa (Kiryat Shalom, artificial pitch, 12.15pm)
Under -14s Team South – at home to Ashdod FC (Kiryat Shalom, artificial pitch, 8.30am)
Under -13s Team North – away at Maccabi Shoham (Shoham, 9am)
Under -13s Team South – away at Bnei Yehuda (Schunat Hatikva, Friday 8.30am)
