Saturday’s Tel Aviv derby will be the 163rd league encounter between Maccabi and Hapoel with Maccabi winning 58 matches, 58 matches drawn and 46 matches won by Hapoel.
Maccabi are unbeaten in the last 17 league derbies and 22 in all competitions. The total goals tally is 200-154 in Maccabi’s favor.
The 5-0 victory in the previous derby equaled the highest record which was achieved twice in the 1969/70 and 2016/17 seasons.
Sheran Yeini made 29 appearances in Tel Aviv derbies as he is currently ranked second in the all-time appearance charts alongside Avi Ninmi and Benny Tabak. Should Yeini feature in Saturday’s derby he will move will take the 35-year-old veteran captain within three appearances from Maccabi’s all time record holder Miko Belo.
Saturday’s derby will conclude Maccabi’s 70th season since the State of Israel was founded. Maccabi’s all-time record on the final day of the season is currently: 36 victories, 11 draws and 22 defeats.
The Tel Aviv derby was played on the final day of the season in four occasions: 1955/56 (3-0 victory), 1958/59 (2-2 draw), 1960/61 (1-1 draw), 2006/07 (3-0 defeat).
Rafi Levy (2) and Yitzhak Nachmias scored for Maccabi in the 1955/56 season which was a direct battle for the league title.
The highest ever victory on the final day of the season was an 8-0 win over Beitar Tel Aviv in 1992/93.
Eylon Almog’s goal against Hapoel Be’ersheva on MD35 made him Maccabi’s 18th goal-scorer in the league this season – an all-time record number for the club. This record number of goal scorers in one season saw Maccabi go level with Beitar Jerusalem (2006), Hapoel Tel Aviv (2014) and Hapoel Hadera (2019).
Besides goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, the only field players to feature in the league without scoring are Dan Glazer, Andre Geraldes, Ofir Davidzada, Eyal Golasa, Sheran Yeini, Shahar Piven, Josue Sa, Maor Kandil and Orel Baye. A goal by one of these players in the derby will set a new Israeli record for the numbers of different goal scorers.
