Maccabi Tel Aviv striker Eden Ben Basat is ready for Maccabi Haifa: "We have to be prepared"
At the parallel home fixture against Maccabi Haifa in October, striker Eden Ben Bassat spoke the final word with a superb free kick eight minutes from time in Maccabi Tel Aviv's 3-1 triumph. He knows what's required to repeat the performance today at 8.55pm at their "Sammy Ofer" Stadium: "We have to be fully prepared, study our opponents as well as we can, listen to the coach's tactical instructions and of course give it everything we have out there on the pitch". For Maccabi Tel Aviv it will be their debut performance at "Sammy Ofer" as a visiting team, after having tested the waters as hosts to Beitar Jerusalem last month. "It didn't go as we hoped last time. We conceded in the last minute and we'll be doing everything to make sure that doesn't repeat itself".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbI-zPSgJGg
"So far the stadium itself is concerned, we can only hope they'll be more like that in Israel, because it's good for the fans, for the football culture and for the sporting culture of the country in general. I'm sure the atmosphere will be brilliant, I think it will be a sell-out crowd, so we'll have to play the game our way and turn up winners". About 3,000 Maccabi Tel Aviv fans are expected at the match tonight and Ben Basat is confident their contribution to the atmosphere will be significant: "Everybody knows how supportive our fans are, they're really important to the team, to every player on the team, and we're looking forward to seeing them all out there as at every match we play".
Maccabi Tel Aviv are the only team who haven't conceded a goal since the start of the second round of Israeli Premier League matches and Ben Basat gives credit to the whole team for that: "I don't make any distinctions between attackers, midfielders and defenders. If we score, it's the whole team scoring. If we keep a clean sheet, it's the whole team responsible together with the goalkeeper. That's the way I look at it. We're one team, we all assist one another , and that's what's most important".
