Maccabi Tel Aviv held a press conference today in the run up to the fifth play-off match this Saturday at Bloomfield Stadium against Bnei Yehuda (9.10 P.M.). Tickets for Maccabi supporters are all sold out

On Saturday, in the fifth and final round of the first stage of the upper tier play-offs, Maccabi Tel Aviv will be guests of Bnei Yehuda at Bloomfield Stadium. In the run up to the match a press conference was held by head coach Oscar Garcia and defender Reef Peretz before this morning's training session. Garcia pushed aside questions concerning the championship saying: "We only play one match at a time and that's on Saturday, not in May, I'm focused on Bnei Yehuda and not the championship. Of course I want to win every match but right now my mind is on this week and nothing else".

As for Bnei Yehuda he had this to say: "All the play-off games are difficult, Bnei Yehuda have played in Europe and they have a good squad and a good coach. My players have been full of confidence all season long and I hope it will continue that way till the end". As for the return of defender Reef Peretz he said: "Reef has been working very hard to stay in the squad, he was injured at the start of the season but now he's fit to play. I always take the whole squad into account and it makes no difference if the player is older or younger, new or a veteran". He added: "We're trying to build a team for the long term, five years, that will be competitive in all competitions, but I haven't started thinking about next season quite yet. The support of our fans is crucial and it's important for the players to feel that support".

Defender Reef Peretz, clearly delighted to be at the press conference after such a long lay-off through injury, talked about his recuperation: "It wasn't easy recovering from an injury like that, I was always taught though never to give up which I didn't do even after my second injury. I just got to training camp as a member of the senior squad this year and I'm trying to make two dreams come true – to get back on the pitch and to be called up for the national under 21 side for the European championships. I'm very keen to be a part of Maccabi's season this year".

As for the involvement of the professional staff he had this to say: "Each step of the way I had the feeling that the professional staff were waiting for me to get back into shape, that everyone was interested in my progress. They explained to us from the very beginning of the season that we should take each game as if it were the World Cup Final. I went through this whole process of getting fit again so I'd be ready for the moment I'd return to action. No-one thinks about the fact that you were injured, what's important is how good you are in practice".