Category: First Team

How many times did Maccabi advance from the Playoff?

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Since the Europa League was introduced in the 2009/10 season the Playoff round was defined as the final encounter before the group stages (Champions League, Europa League and Conference League). Of the 16 seasons this stage is being played, Maccabi will make its’ 13th appearance – the most of the 7 Israeli clubs that reached a Playoff in the various European competitions.

Maccabi advanced from the Playoff and into the group stages on seven attempts, four of which in the Europa League, once in the Champions League and twice in the Conference League.

Twenty-one players scored for Maccabi in the Playoff stage with Eran Zahavi leading the goal charts with 7 goals to his name.

Sheran Yeini made the most appearances for Maccabi at this stage playing in 15 Playoff matches. Yeini, who retired at the end of the 2023/24 season featured more than any of the 96 players who represented the club in the Playoff.

Throughout Maccabi only faced one Serbian opponent in their European history – Radnicki Nis in the 2018/19 Europa League 2nd qualifying round.

A brace from Vidar Kjartansson helped Maccabi to a 2-0 victory in Netanya while Eliran Atar and an own goal saw Maccabi salvage a 2-2 in Serbia.

Overall 11 encounters between Israeli and Serbian clubs took place with a total balance of: 5 victories for the Israeli clubs, 3 draws and 3 defeats with a combined goal tally of 19-14.   

 

Perica’s chip, Zahavi at Basel: 5 Playoff goals

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Watch: Lazetic ahead of Backa Topola

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Thank you Matan

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Matan Hozez will leave Maccabi Tel Aviv FC and join Hapoel Jerusalem after an agreement was reached between the two clubs for the transfer of the 28-year-old forward.

 

 Hozez, who grew up at Maccabi’s Youth Academy made his senior debut in July 2016 and has since made a total of 111 appearances in all competitions 66 of which in the league.

Of the 11 goals Hozez scored for Maccabi, his latest one helped the Club win the Super Cup earlier this season adding to a total of 6 trophies: 1 League Championships (19/20), 1 State Cup (20/21), 2 Toto Cups (18/19, 20/21) and 2 Super Cups (19/20, 24/25).

Thank you Matan and all the best.

Introducing TSC Backa Topola

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Maccabi will compete with Serbian side TSC Backa Topola for a place in the Europa League group stages. The luck of the draw at UEFA’s Headquarters in Nyon Switzerland teamed Maccabi’s Head Coach Zarko Lazetic and his coaching staff with a return to their former club they all know so well. Now it is your turn to get to know TSC.

Although their European history stretches over four seasons only, TSC Backa Topola managed to gain international experience. Last season under Lazetic, TSC played in te Europa League group stage in a tough group that included West Ham United, Freiburg and Olympiacos Piraeus. While TSC finished bottom of their group. Olympiacos dropped to the Conference League and came back from a 4-1 deficit in Athens to beat Maccabi 6-1 at Backa Topola in the Round of 16 before winning the competition.

Following Lazetic’s departure to Maccabi, TSC appointed Dean Klafurić as his successor. Under the 52-year-old Croat, TSC played five league matches and are currently sixth in the Serbian table after winning two, losing two while one match ended in a draw. Klafurić began his coaching career in 2009 and unlike most of his peers didn’t have a playing career. For a coach who began coaching Croatia’s women team and then worked for three years at Dynamo Zagreb’s Youth Academy he made steady progress as he switched to Slovenia’s Gorica in 2017. The following year he recorded his most notable achievement – winning the Polish League and Cup double with Legia Warsaw (2018). Hrvatski Dragovoljac in Croatia and Greek side Ethnicos Achna were followed by Slaven Belupo, Budapest Honved  in Hungary and Velež Mostar. In the summer TSC appointed Klafurić as the replacement of Lazetic who coached the club since 2021.

In his first season at TSC, Lazetic, steered the club to safety and solidified them in 2022/23 with a runners-up spot. Last season Backa Topola finished the season in third place which guarantees and automatic place in the Europa league Playoff.       

Just like Maccabi had their league match against Hapoel Jerusalem which was scheduled to take place between the two legs postponed, TSC’s league encounter with Red Star Belgrade was also pushed back.

TSC’s two key players last season were their forwards Aleksandar Ćirković (22) who arrived from Russian side Kirila Sovtov and was the top scorer with 14 goals in all competitions. Twenty-one-year-old Miloš Pantović is another key player as the forward is responsible for 12 goals and 9 assists last season.

An interesting name is Marko Lazetic (20), the nephew of Maccabi coach who joined TSC in the summer on loan from Italian giants AC Milan. The youngster began the season in the starting line-up but in the past few matches Petar Stanić leads TSC’s attack.

While Ifet Đakovac who is also TSC’s regular penalty taker marshals the midfield, in defense the recent sale of Nemanja Stojić to Red Star Belgrade left Backa Topola seeking for alternatives to stabilize their defense this season.

Asante: “It would be challenging. We have enough quality”

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Maccabi left for Hungary ahead of Thursday’s Europa League Playoff first leg against Serbian side TSC Backa Topola. After the morning session at Kiryat Shalom and before departing for Hungary, Maccabi’s Dutch defender Tyrese Asante spoke about the challenge his side faces: “This will be the final qualification round before the Europa League group stages so it will be challenging. We have plenty of quality so I expect us to play well and start strong. Both teams would like to win so it will be tough but we will try play our game and hopefully we’d win”.

Maccabi’s preparations for the Europa League Playoffs

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Maccabi’s players arrived at the PenguinPickUp training complex in Kiryat Shalom this morning (Tuesday) and held their final practice before departing for Hungary where they host Serbian side TSC Backa Topola (Thursday, 21:00).

After training the team left for Ben Gurion airport before taking off to Budapest where the team will travel to Szombathely.

Maccabi will return to the Haladas stadium where they hosted FK Panevezys in the previous round. This time round they will host the former club of Head Coach Zarko Lazetic that are currently ranked 6th in the table.

Melika on making a dream come true and Lazeric’s support

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Nineteen-year-old Ofek Melika, a third generation of Maccabi goalkeepers, said after the match: “It is amazing, a childhood dream, to follow the footsteps of my grandfather who played here (Shmuel Melika), my uncle who played her (Meir Melika) and my father (Yaron Melika). I was a kid and too young so never had a chance to see them all play but heard all the stories so to experience this myself with these fans was an amazing experience.”

 

On the chance he was given from Zarko Lazetic and the goalkeepers’ hierarchy at Maccabi, Melika added: “I have a great relationship with him. I am delighted the coach gave me the opportunity and that he and his staff trust me. I joined Maccabi knowing that I will be the second choice keeper and obviously everything is dynamic in football. I believe that I worked hard enough in the training camp and in training back in Israel to prove that I deserve to be Maccabi’s second choice keeper.”

On playing his first ever match at Bloomfield, Melika said: “It was an amazing feeling. During the first half the fans were behind me and I heard every chant they made. It is fulfilling a dream. I believed this moment would come. If you would have told me a year ago, when I was playing for Maccabi Petah Tikva’s youth team that I would be playing in the Semi Final of the Toto Cup and we’d reach the final – I wouldn’t have believed it.”

“I am a 100% ready and fully aware of the demands at the highest level in Israel” Melika added: “I feel ready and hope that in the future I will be given the chance to show what I am worth. I trust my progress and will continue to work hard. Roy Mishpati is an excellent goalkeeper and I am learning a lot from him.”

Zahavi’s post-match after Sakhnin

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Eran Zahavi had one spectacular first half overhead goal disallowed for offside but had to wait for a late second half penalty to get his name on the scoresheet and put Maccabi in front against Bnei Sakhnin. “I always love to score and help the team” Zahavi said minutes after the side he just captained secured a place in the Toto Cup final with a 2-1 victory at Bloomfield. “We played a good game today as Sakhnin made our lives difficult but I am delighted we managed to score and reach the final. Every title is important for Maccabi and I hope we’d win the final and clinch that title as well.”

Zahavi, whose only goal of the 2024/25 campaign was in the Super Cup ended a four-match goal drought: “We are at the start of the season, there are plenty of rooms for improvement but we didn’t have a full squad from the start of the season, but only in the past few days we began to get the team we would like to see. I am sure we would improve and progress. I am relaxed, as we are in a place were we should be at the start of the season and from here we would improve.”

Zahavi, who this season is competing for a place with two young forwards in Dor Turgeman (20) and Elad Madmon (20) said: “To be honest this is fun, there are two young and very talented players here. There is a good competition for places in the starting line-up. I am here to help them and guide them, obviously not to give up my place in the starting line-up, but I am happy they are playing and getting minutes which allows me to rest whenever needed as well as helps the change of generations at the club. I am happy with every minute that I am on the pitch. I am sure there will be hysteria every time I will not be in the starting line-up but everyone could calm down as this shouldn’t happen. Both myself and the club knew what kind of process we are going as I can help them a lot and I am here for them. But don’t get me wrong I am not giving up my place for nothing as I will fight with them for every second which will make them better and better prepared. I am happy to be here and help every player at the club. So everyone should calm down as all is cool.”

On Maccabi Haifa that will face Maccabi in the Toto Cup final, Zahavi said: “Both teams are experiencing complex summers. It is challenging in terms of adding players. I know this is very tough as maybe in normal days players would have come, so maybe it harms us but we are not going to moan about it. We will have to deal with it, there are good enough Israeli players and also great foreign players who are already here. I think that the players who arrived are excellent players and if there will be another chance more would come.”

Lazetic’s summary of the victory over Sakhnin

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