Maccabi Tel Aviv will host Ukrainian outfit Zorya Luhansk for the rescheduled Conference League MD3 match at the TSC Arena in Backa Topola, Serbia.
This evening (Friday) Dor Peretz spoke at the press conference ahead of the match.
Peretz, left Israel on November 5th to Poland where he played with Maccabi against Zorya before joining the Israel national team that played in Kosovo, hosted two matches in Hungary and then played in Andorra. On the long journey and time spent away from home, Peretz said: “It is a challenging journey, but I think that representing Israel today, Maccabi and then Israel, is the biggest thing we can do as Israelis these days. As long as this continues, it gives me pride and I will keep on doing it even if it takes a month or two.”
Ahead of the forthcoming task, the 28-year-old said: “Our job is to focus on what we are doing now – we are playing for Maccabi, all the national team players who are playing at Maccabi are now focused on advancing to the next stage of the Conference League. This is what is important for us now and this is our target – winning tomorrow and achieving our targets.”
Peretz, who scored two goals in the match against Zorya in Poland, added: “Every game is important, but tomorrow’s match is a key match towards our next step. We must arrive focused, aggressive as we always play and I think that the principals our coach gives us will make us play good.”
Peretz, who against Andorra, was handed the Israel captain’s armband for the first time: “I felt so proud to represent Israel in these days, and to wear the armband – I don’t have much to say besides a big big feeling for me. Unfortunately, we didn’t bring a lot of happiness as we wanted to bring to the nation, but I hope we will do it in March.”
On being outside Israel at this time, Peretz concluded: ”The situation in Israel is not easy. The war, the families, the soldiers who are fighting for us. The feeling as an Israeli citizen to be abroad in these days is not easy because you feel that everything can happen but I hope for good days and think they will come soon.”.
