Tag: maccabi haifa

Micha: “This game is super important for us”

Posted on

Maccabi Tel Aviv will visit Maccabi Haifa at a jam packed Sammy Ofer Stadium Saturday night 20:05 on Matchday Five of Ligat Winner. Yellow-and-Blue midfielder Dor Micha knows that the upcoming game is crucial for the club:

דור מיכה לקראת מכבי חיפה

Are you ready to face Haifa:

“Of course we’re ready for the upcoming matches just as we were against Raanana but it just didn’t work out. We haven’t won a league match in a few weeks so we’re coming into this match with the mindset that this game is super important for us.”

You’ll be playing at Sammy Ofer Stadium against Haifa and then at “home” against Kyiv:

“We’ve played there many times already so we are used to the stadium and the pitch. Right now we are preparing just for the Haifa match which is very important and then we will look ahead to the next game against Dynamo Kyiv.”

Maccabi Haifa has struggled this year:

“The year just started and this is still Maccabi Haifa. It’s going to be a tough match.”

You’ve lost two matches in a row:

“We aren’t playing well right now, so we have to come into this match and we’ve got to give it all.”

Zahavi: “We know where we need to improve”

Posted on

Maccabi Tel Aviv will take on Maccabi Haifa on Matchday Five of Ligat Winner this Saturday night at Sammy Ofer Stadium. Following the loss to Raanana,  Captain Eran Zahavi spoke about the upcoming match against The Greens, the start of the season and more:

AQ7A8672On the beginning of the season:

“We opened up the season in good shape. We made it up to the Champions League and there are things to fix up in all the competitions. But to categorize Chelsea and the Toto Cup together is just not right. We don’t like to lose but the results so far go have been in our favor. But again, we will keep working to improve and go forward.”

About the upcoming match:

“They are a good team even though they’ve had trouble at the beginning of the year. Haifa will be playing at home in a full stadium and they are coming into the match hungry after the last game. We were disappointed losing to Raanana as we come to every game to win. We will work on the points that we need to especially in the box. We may have needed more players in the box and we know where we need to improve.”

The system Zahavi feels most comfortable in:

“I’m comfortable with any style of play. Even with a 4-3-3 we need more players in the box in order to score goals, we know what we need to do and we’ll keep working on it in the upcoming matches. It would be great if other players would score, Barak and Gal scored the past few matches and we didn’t win those games.”

“We must concentrate more and bring more energy”

Posted on

Maccabi Tel Aviv will face Maccabi Haifa away at Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa on Matchday Five, Saturday night 20:05 as Head Coach Slavisa Jokanovic looks to get his side back on the winning track. Jokanovic: “We must concentrate more and bring more energy”

What do expect from Maccabi Haifa after seeing them play against Beer Sheva this week:

AQ7A8673 “They are an organized team and they tried their best in Beer Sheva under difficult circumstances going a man down at the start of the match. For us we must find the points in the game where we can change the situation and it’s a chance to play good football and get back on the right foot. As coach it’s my responsibility to make sure that we are ready and try to focus the team on the next game and in this case it’s Maccabi Haifa which is one of the classic matches in Israel football. This match may be a turning point to regain our confidence. It’s a very important game for me.”

 What went wrong last match against Raanana:

 “We have to remember that before the game begins nothing is over and done. We arrived thinking it may be an easy game and in the end we lost. We didn’t attack with enough players and they had a couple of chances and they scored. We played the two halves with different systems and tried to change things up and each system had their strengths and weaknesses. In the Israeli league we must have spend more time attacking in the box and last match we played outside of it.”

How do you see the club at this point of the year:

ראיקוביץ' “We must concentrate more and bring more energy and as always the next game for us is the most important. We must be ready for all of the competitions. Each game is a different story and right now we’ve played 6-7 more matches than other teams. We are still at the beginning of the season and we must to continue to improve and be hungry for each and every game and in every competition. In each competition the side may be different team but everyone in the squad must understand that this is Maccabi and we are always under pressure to win the match, especially in the Israeli league. Right now, two wins, one draw and a loss is not good enough and it’s not what the supporters want to see from us.”

On his candidness after the Raanana match:

“I spoke with my players after the Raanana game and I say what I think to them and to the media and I try to be honest. I have my reasons when I speak about the team and I never point out individual players but as a collective, as a team.”

What is the status of Nosa Igiebor:

“Nosa Igiebor has a knee problem and had an issue the past few games and he’s not 100%. We are checking him out and we are trying to find a solution to his injury and he is doing this outside of Tel Aviv. Shlomi Azulay is also unavailable for the match.”