Champions League day has already begun. Maccabi “Shachar” had their final training session before their Youth League match against Porto tomorrow at Bloomfield Stadium, 14:00. All fans are invited to check out the next generation of players take on the Dragons free of charge.

Striker Eylon Almog spoke about the will to find the club’s first victory of the competition, advancing to the Elite Round with the Under-17 Israel National Team and also his personal feelings about being one of the younger players on the team: “We’re treating every match in the Champions League as our first, especially since we have yet to win. We’ve got tons of motivation to make sure we can take some points tomorrow at Bloomfield.”

Almog was also part of the Under-17 National Team that participated in the UEFA European Championship qualifying matches recently. Along with another five players from Maccabi’s youth department, the side advanced to the Elite Round: “I went into those games with a bit of concern. Two days before the tournament began I was injured and I thought that I may not be able to play, but thankfully I was ok and I did play in the games. I ended up scoring a brace in our first match against Norway and we won 3:1. Then we lost to France but defeated Northern Ireland 2:1 in the last game where I scored the first goal.”

Even though Almog plays for the Under-17 National Team he is part of the Under-19 Maccabi side. The striker explained his rapid rise in the youth ranks: “It’s not everyday that a player my age will have the chance to play with the older club, but I’m grabbing the opportunity with both hands. I won’t lie, it’s not easy but I’ve got to take things into proportion and not get too excited. I have been with the team since the start of the year and I was part of the training camp that took place in Croatia. I feel that I belong.”

On the opponents that he’s faced so far in the Champions League Youth League: “They are at a very high level. Every player has the physical abilities as a first team player, but I feel that we’ve been able to hold our own so far against both Kiev and Porto. You could really see the difference against Chelsea but we still we’re able to compete with them.”

Tomorrow, Maccabi “Shachar” will play its first match at Bloomfield: “I’m sure that every single player in the youth department dreams of playing at Bloomfield. The fact that we are playing there is motivation enough for our match against Porto tomorrow.”