Ahead of Israel's qualifier against Wales the national team have stepped up their preparations, and with them five Maccabi players. Before the encounter, Sheran Yeini and Eytan Tibi spoke about the mood in the squad, their aspirations and the pros of having five team-mates with them
This weekend every football fan in Israel will put aside her or his club shirt and scarf and unite behind the Israel national team. After winning their first three Euro 2016 qualifiers against Andorra, Cyprus and Bosnia, the Israeli national side face two extraordinary challenges in the space of four days when two of Europe's foremost national sides, Wales and Belgium, arrive in Israel for their first qualifying encounters with the hosting national team. Maccabi Tel Aviv will be sending no less than five of their most gifted players – captain Sheran Yeini, defenders Eytan Tibi and Omri Ben Harush, winger Tal Ben Chaim and midfielder Eran Zahavi – to join the squad for these two all-important matches, starting Saturday against Wales followed on Tuesday by Belgium.
For the five Maccabi players these are busy times, with both league and international duties reaching a peak at more or less the same time. Sheran Yeini is sanguine: "Last summer we were with the national team for a tour in the US to give a financial boost to the Israeli Football Association, and this year we'll be having a match after the end of the season too. Of course it makes life more difficult but the club understand the problem and make our schedules as easy as possible".
Eytan Tibi, who is expected to open in the Israel back four, also spoke about domestic versus national duty, but also about imagining what might be the next step in the national team's campaign: "We've got two really important matches ahead of us, and not just for the players but for the country as a whole. Of course it's an advantage to have your club team-mates on the squad. We know one another very well and that can be a great help to us and the whole team. You can see the advantage both in the team talks before the game and during the game itself. We understand one another and cover for each other as well. The whole national squad are winners, not just the Maccabi players, and I hope we'll be proving that out on the pitch. There isn't a player in Israel who wouldn't want to be on the national side, especially under these circumstances with us topping our group. That's not something you take for granted and we want to be there to help the team progress".
