Vidar Kjartansson, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s number 9 spoke about the upcoming contest against KR Reykjavik tomorrow evening at the Netanya Stadium, 18:00. The Icelandic striker

“I played against them a lot of times and it’s always been one of the best teams in Iceland.”

His feelings about the encounter:
“It was a good feeling. I haven’t played an Icelandic team since I went abroad so I am looking forward to playing against them.”

Rotating players:
“We have only been together for a few weeks and we need to play a rotation, It’s important that all the players will be fit and that everyone gets playing time.”

Expectations after leading the league in scoring last season:
“It’s always been an expectation where I’ve been playing and I’ll be ready for the pressure.”

Familiarity with KR:
“I know many of the players and I’ve played with some on my hometown club.”

Maccabi as favorites:
“I’m not thinking about favorites. There are only two games and we saw teams move to the group stages from small counties, so we have to be prepared.”

Playing under coach Jordi Cruyff:
“You saw it last year when we won almost every game under his direction. Hopefully this year will be even better than last year.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv will face an opponent from Iceland for the second time in European competition when they host KR Reykjavik, the most decorated club in the country. Let’s find out what the Yellow & Blue can expect thanks Piotr Giedyk and Johann Sigurdsson two experts in the Icelandic football field.

“There are several key players who have played on the national team,” explained Giedyk, “Pálmi Rafn Pálmason, Óskar Örn Hauksson, Finnur Orri Margeirsson, Arnór Sveinn Adalsteinsson, Gunnar Þór Gunnarsson and the one I consider the best of the bunch – Indriði Sigurðsson. They are all very experienced and have been playing together for several years now which is the team’s strength.”

Sigurdsson said that Hauksson may cause problems for Maccabi, “He plays on the wings, mostly on the left one, is left footed and has a great shot. The club also has one of the best goalkeepers in the country in Stefan Logi Magnusson.”

When it comes to style of play Sigurdsson spoke about their usual tactics while also looking at how they will play in the match on Thursday against the Yellow & Blue, “They try to keep possession of the ball, but are not afraid of going a bit direct. They are not used to sitting deep much and they try to play positive football. But, I would expect them to be cautious in this game and they will probably defend deep.”

Giedyk talked about how Head Coach Willum Þór Þórsson is very experienced, “He has a lot of tactical knowledge and knows how to prepare for a hard game. A year ago (Europa League 2016/17) KR was close to eliminating Grasshoppers Zurich. The side played a great two legged tie but lacked a bit of luck. The coach gathered the most praise from the contests.” Sigurdsson also chimed in, “William Pór coached the team while he was a member of parliament. He is a no nonsense guy and always very lively on the sideline.”

While there probably won’t be many fans traveling to Israel for the first leg, Sigurssson said that KR boasts the most supporters in the country, “The fans can be noisy at home, but nothing to be afraid of. They do have a large following historically being the biggest club in Iceland.”

How will KR handle Maccabi in Europa League second round qualifying? “I think KR is a mature and experienced club. The team is not in the best shape yet, but can fight with Maccabi. An important issue is that KR is no longer amateur. KR Reykjavík presents professional football and in formal terms – most of the players have professional contracts now,” Giedyk commented.

Sigurdsson also gave his thoughts on the upcoming round, “I don´t expect them to have much of a chance against Maccabi Tel Aviv, but you really never know in football.”

KR Reykjavik Facts & Stats

• KR will be the second team that Maccabi has faced from Iceland in European competition. The first club was Keflavík in the 1994/95 Cup Winners Cup as the Yellow & Blue won both legs by scores of 4:1 and 2:1. The goal scorers included two from Nir Klinger and single markers by Avi Nimni, Eli Driks as well as Gady and Alon Brumer.
• The Icelandic outfit in the country’s most successful side winning over 50 domestic titles including, 26 League Championships, 14 Icelandic Cups, 7 League Cups and 5 Super Cups.
• Reykjavik won 20 league titles between 1912-1968 but then it took 31 years to capture their next championship in 1999; their centennial year.
• KR has never advanced to the Champions League or Europa League Group Stages. The furthest they have gotten in continental play was appearing in the third qualifying round of the Europa League twice, where they were eliminated by Dinamo Tbilisi in 2011/12 and Basel in 2009/10.
• Other European foes that KR has faced have included Liverpool, Celtic, Everton and Torino.
• The Club’s home stadium KR-völlur was built in 1951 and holds 2,700 spectators.
  Maccabi’s Icelandic striker Vidar Kjartansson has played against KR 4 times and has scored 3 goals against them in Úrvalsdeild action.

Maccabi Tel Aviv drew KF Tirana of Albania as their opponent in the first round of Europa League qualifying with the first leg being played at the Netanya Stadium on Thursday June 29th while the return leg will be next Thursday July 6th at the Selman Stërmasi Stadium in Tirana.

We spoke to @AlbanianFooty all about what the Yellow & Blue should expect from the Albanian outfit and their brand new coach, Brazilian Zé Maria.

“New manager Ze Maria (José Marcelo Ferreira) was appointed head coach June 17, so it’s hard to say what style the team will play. But I assume that they will sit back in Netanya and try their best to counter,” said @AlbanianFooty.

Ze Maria in fact played most of his professional career in Italy for the likes of Inter Milan, Perugia, Parma as well as for Levante in Spain as a right back/midfielder. However, his resume as a coach includes teams from Romania and most recently Kenya where he was in charge of Gor Mahia FC, a team he guided to second place. Now with Tirana his goal is crystal clear, “His main job is to get the club promoted back to the Super league.”

Maccabi will need to watch out for a number of players on the Albanian side says @AlbanianFooty, “GK Illion Lika (37 years old & former National Team player), center half Gentian Muça who has been with the club since 2012 and has made 112 appearances, and captain Erando Karabeci, a midfielder with over 200 appearances for the club are the key players. There are also many players that the new manager has brought in as players have been released.”

One of the interesting facts about Tirana is that even though they were relegated to the second division they were able to win the domestic cup vaulting them into the Europa League qualification rounds. @AlbanianFooty explained how the Club was relegated, “The team was relegated because of a lot of factors. Surprisingly the team was doing well in the first half of the 16-17 Albanian super league season but that all changed after Ilir Daja (the Club’s first coach last season) was oddly sacked after a home draw to a team below Tirana in the standings.”

@AlbanianFooty continued, “Tirana “legend” Mirel Josa was appointed in his place and Tirana began dropping points to teams below them in the standings. An agreement between KF Tirana and Partizani to share Selman Stermasi Stadium (KF TIRANA’s home stadium) resulted in the fans boycotting home matches. This didn’t help the team and resulted in even more points being dropped to teams Tirana should expect to beat.”

The Cup was obviously the highlight of the season for Tirana, “They won the cup because the team felt they needed to repay the fans for relegation. Also, Skenderbeu their opponents didn’t really have much to play for because they already secured a spot in UEL qualifying.”

Interesting facts about KF Tirana:

1) The only Israeli club that Tirana has faced up until now was Hapoel Beer Sheva in the 1995/96 Qualifying Round of the UEFA Cup losing to the southern side in both matches (1:0, 2:0) of their two legged tie. 

2) The Club’s home stadium Selman Stërmasi is named after the coach who managed them in the 1930’s, helping them to 5 domestic league titles.

3) Tirana is ranked 393 in the UEFA Club rankings and has a coefficient of 1.825. Maccabi is 88th with a coefficient of 23.375, the highest of any club in the first round of Europa League qualifying.

4) Tirana was officially formed in 1920, however was already active in Albanian football in 1911 winning the country’s first championship but is not officially recognized by the football association.

5) The Club is the most successful and decorated club in Albania winning 50 domestic titles including 24 League Championships, 16 Albanian Cups and 10 Albanian Super Cups.

6) Tirana has been part of European football competitions since 1966 and has faced a couple of clubs that Maccabi has also played in continental action including Bayern Munich, Ajax and ND Gorica.