This weekend the Israeli Premier League play-offs get underway. How will our beloved Maccabi fare? Perhaps the past can provide some clues . . .
Play-off champions
Since the play-offs were reintroduced in the 2009/10 season, Maccabi Tel Aviv are the club who have collected the most points from the run-in phase of the season, 68 in all. Maccabi Haifa are second with 60, Hapoel Tel Aviv third with 57.
The name of the game is stability
In four of the last five seasons, Maccabi have maintained their end of normal-season position in the table throughout the play-off period.
Rising tide
These last five seasons have seen Maccabi's play-off goalscoring totals on a rising curve, starting with 6 in 2010 and moving steadily upward through 12 and 14 in the following two seasons to 17 and 18 in the last two. If this trend continues, we may expect this year at least 19.
Heading for the heights
If Eran Zahavi repeats his play-off goalscoring output from last season, when he scored 11 goals in all, his season total will reach 32, breaking the all-time club record of 30 established in the 1954/55 season by Nissim Elmaleh.
Home sweet home
If Maccabi remain unbeaten at Bloomfield during these play-offs, they will have gone an impressive two whole seasons without losing at home in any competition.
New Faces, old faces
This year one new club will enter the recent play-off field, Maccabi Petach Tikva. During this period Maccabi Tel Aviv's most familiar play-off rivals have been Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Tel Aviv, whom the club have faced seven times each.
Setting the record straight
Maccabi go into the play-offs to face three rivals they've failed to beat in the league so far this season: Ironi Kiryat Shmona, Hapoel Beer Sheva and Beitar Jerusalem. Against the other two, Maccabi Petach Tikva and Maccabi Haifa, the situation is quite the opposite: Four wins out of four.
Past and present
The squads of Maccabi's play-off rivals sport nine players who have worn the Yellow-and-Blue kit in the past – one at Maccabi Haifa, two at Hapoel Beer Sheva and three each at Maccabi Petach Tikva and Ironi Kiryat Shmona.
