After an important win in league action against Hapoel Raanana, Maccabi “Shachar”will turn their focus on their upcoming UEFA Youth Champions League contest with Anzhi Makhachkala. The Yellow & Blue will face the Russian outfit in the second leg of first round action after falling 3:2 in the first leg on Wednesday. The winner of the tie will play the winner of the matchup between Maribor from Slovenia and Sigma Olomouc of the Czech Republic. Head Coach Guy Tzarfati looked ahead to the clash after the win over Raanana:
“To defeat Raanana in a comeback at the end of the match showed a lot of character and the type of players we have in the dressing room. It’s great that we were able to win the match and the feeling is great which is what I want the players to take into the Champions League contest on Wednesday.”
About the upcoming match:
“We haven’t concentrated yet on the match as we had league games but now we have a few days to prepare and get ready. We played well in the first leg, scored a couple of goals and created many chances. We made some mistakes that cost us and in these types of competitions you can’t make those mistakes. We have another match that we can make amends and when we left after the first leg we felt that we have a chance. We played well and the character that we brought will hopefully help us win the upcoming contest and that we can advance.”
Knockout contest:
“The players and staff all understand what a knock out match is and we are only concentrating on continuing on and winning the match. Many times a team takes advantage of the feeling of a win or go home match and do their utmost to continue on. Hopefully we’ll be able to do that as I believe in the players.”
Celebration:
“This is a celebration for the whole club and for the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Academy. There will be many fans and parents who will come and see the match and I hope that they will create a fantastic atmosphere. This will give the players and staff a huge boost and I can’t wait to see everyone on Wednesday.”
