The top-six playoffs: Two scenarios

This coming weekend, the last matches will be played of the normal 2014/15 Israeli Premier League season. Only then will we know the complete picture of the all-important top-six playoffs. Here's a preview

This coming Monday Maccabi Tel Aviv will welcome Hapoel Petach Tikva to Bloomfiield Stadium in their last encounter of the normal 2014/15 Israeli Premier League season. From that moment on all eyes will be focused on the all-important playoffs. The results of the top-six playoff will determine the 2014/15 Premier League champions and which clubs play In Europe at the start of the 2015/16 season. Those of the bottom eight will tell us who stays up and who spends next season in the second division "Leumit" League. But it's not just finishing in one or the other play-off group that influences the run-in phase of the season. Each club's position within the two play-off groups also determines the order and venues of their play-off fixtures, and it goes without saying that the higher a club finishes, the more favourable their run-in schedule will be.

Going into the last match of the pre-playoff season with a four point lead at the top of the Israeli Premier League table, Maccabi Tel Aviv are now the only club that are assured of their position in the top-six playoff sweepstake. Ironi Kiryat Shmona and Hapoel Beer Sheva are certain of a place in the top six, but only the results of the final week's encounters will tell us who finishes second and who third. Four different clubs are vying for the remaining three places – Beitar Jerusalem, Maccabi Petach Tikva, Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Ra'anana – all separated by a mere three points. So only on Sunday night, after Hapoel Beer Sheva's match against Bnei Sakhnin, will Maccabi Tel Aviv know exactly what their play-off schedule will look like. But in the meantime, here follow two possible scenarios for your perusal.

1.            Opening against Maccabi Petach Tikva, finishing with Maccabi Haifa

As first-placed club in the top-six playoff, Maccabi's opening play-off encounter will be at home to the team that finishes sixth, their last at home to the team that finishes fifth. This particular scenario anticipates only one change in the table as it now stands, with Maccabi Haifa finishing fifth and Maccabi Petach Tikva finishing sixth. In that case Maccabi Tel Aviv's home encounter against Haifa will take place in the final week instead of the first.

2.            Opening against Hapoel Ra'anana, finishing with Beitar Jerusalem

This scenario anticipates Hapoel Ra'anana reaching the top-six playoffs at the expense of Maccabi Petach Tikva, with Maccabi Haifa climbing above Beitar Jerusalem into fourth place. In that case Maccabi's first play-off match will be at home to Hapoel Ra'anana, but their encounters against Ironi Kiryat Shmona and Hapoel Beer Sheva will be the same as in scenario 1. Maccabi's final match in this scenario will be yet another intriguing encounter against Beitar Jerusalem.