After a busy month of European action and travels, Maccabi Tel Aviv return to compete on the domestic front as they have a short trip to Miriam stadium where they face local side Maccabi Netanya for the Semi Final of the Toto Cup. Head Coach, Kenny Miller made it clear that he has no intention of taking the competition lightly: “We have a strong squad and there will definitely be changes, but make no mistake, this is a semi-final. We will approach this game looking to win with the strongest team we can field. This is not a game to ‘throw away’ or another warm-up match for the league. We want to win and be in the final in December.”
Captain Dor Peretz, who lifted one trophy this season after beating Hapoel Be’ersheva in the Super Cup, emphasized the players’ commitment to : “Every trophy is a trophy, whether it’s the Toto Cup or the Israeli Championship. Every player understands that. We will do our very best to win, with whoever plays and whatever lineup we field.”
Peretz also responded emphatically when asked whether the team is capable of beating Netanya with a potentially rotated lineup: “Asking us whether we are capable of beating Netanya feels like you are underestimating us. It’s irrelevant which lineup we field; we will do our very best.”
Regarding the squad and the remainder of the campaign, Peretz added: “We have a very high-quality and very good squad here, but yes, this team needs reinforcements and a refresh with a few more players who can push us forward, so that we can compete for all the trophies and in all the competitions”.
