Maccabi will host the 155th Tel Aviv Derby against Hapoel on Monday. In the previous 154 clashes Maccabi have won 52 times, there have been 56 draws and 46 wins for Hapoel. The goal difference favours Maccabi 178-150.
Maccabi’s will be returning to Bloomfield after three seasons in Netanya. Their home Derby record is 29 wins, 29 draws and 14 defeats with a goal difference of 92-56.
Just one point from Monday’s fixture will ensure Maccabi top the standings as the league enters the playoff phase and under the system, since the 2012-13 season, all the teams that entered leading the playoff phase have gone on to win the title.
If Hapoel manage to sneak into the playoffs, there will be two more Derbies this season, the first time that this has happened since 2013-14.
If Maccabi do not lose on Monday, it will mark 10 straight Derbies undefeated, which would equal the run that was achieved in 1994.
The biggest margin of victory in the Derby was the 5-0 win for Maccabi in 2016-17 when Tal Ben Haim and Vidar Kjaertensson with two each, and Nosa Igibor scored, and in 1969-70 when Giora Spiegel hit a hat trick and Rahamim Talbi and Nissim Bachar added the others.
Hapoel coach Nir Klinger’s record against Maccabi is two wins, three draws and ten wins for Maccabi and a goal difference of 35-14 in favour of Maccabi.
The active player with most Derby appearances is Sheran Yeini, with 23, seventh in the all-time record list.
The most prolific Derby scorer is the late Shiye Glazer, with 11 goals, while Avi Nimni has eight, and Eli Driks and Eran Zahavi with seven each.
Over 2.3 million spectators have turned out to watch Tel Aviv Derbies over the years. This works out at an average of 15,300 per game and is a record for any domestic Israeli fixture. The Derby with the highest attendance was 40,000 played at Ramat Gan when Maccabi won 1-0.
