The Maccabi Tel Aviv squad awoke to a Saturday of intensive training on the second day at their training camp in Austria. Tomorrow the team will face their first competitive test in a pre-season friendly against FC Ingolstadt 04
After enjoying the relaxing atmosphere of a Friday night Sabbath eve dinner at their training camp in Austria, the Maccabi Tel Aviv players might have been forgiven for thinking it would be followed by an equally relaxing Saturday rest. Nothing, however, could have been farther from the reality. After an early wake-up call and a hearty breakfast, the squad set out for the training pitch close to their hotel for the first of two practices scheduled for the day. Young striker Moannes Dabbur, still recovering from injury, conducted his own training with fitness coach Yossi Zigdon. During the course of a rain soaked evening training session a new face arrived in Saalfelden, Manuel Cordeiro, who is expected to join the professional staff as analyst (of video footage). Tomorrow another new addition to the professional staff is expected, Victor Sanchez, who will be head coach Paulo Sousa's assistant.
Tomorrow at 6 P.M. local time (7 P.M. Israeli time), the team will play their first pre-season friendly match under the stewardship of new head coach Paulo Sousa against FC Ingolstadt 04, who last season finished 13th in the 2nd German Bundesliga. The German side's current head coach, the German Marco Kurtz, was head coach at FC Kaiserslautern two years ago when striker Itai Schecter, who just recently returned to Hapoel Tel Aviv, was a member of his squad. The match will be held at the Sportplatz Stadium, the home venue of the Austrian club Leogang, located ten kilometres from the hotel where the Maccabi squad are staying. Reports from the match will be posted exclusively on the official Maccabi Tel Aviv website and at the club's social networks.
