After advancing through three stages, Maccabi Tel Aviv has one more hurdle to overcome for a place in the Europa League Group Stages. On Thursday at 20:05 Israel time, the Yellow & Blue will play at Sarpsborg in Norway in the first leg of the Playoff Round.

Highlights from the Derby:

The Club’s players and professional staff left for the Scandinavian country on Tuesday from Ben Gurion Airport as central defender Jair Amador spoke about the upcoming battle for ticket to the Group Stages for the third straight season: “We received all the information we needed about the opponent and they are a very physical squad who haven’t lost at home in a very long time. We are expecting a tough match. We have to be very focused in in order to leave there with a good result.”

“I believe that our physical preparation has been excellent for the matches that we have played. We are a professional side that has to be ready for every contest and for every challenge,” added the central defender.

About the Derby:
“I felt the excitement surrounding the game and you can see that there is a tremendous amount of passion as the fans never stopped supporting us. I hope that I’ll have the opportunity to enjoy many more Derbies victories together with Maccabi, as that’s the most important thing.”

Tomorrow the club will hold the final training session at Sarpsborg as well as the prematch press conference ahead of the match.

For all of the latest updates, photos and video clips from Norway, make sure to stay tuned to the Official Maccabi Tel Aviv Website, App and Social Networks.