Avi Rikan, the Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder will face Kiryat Shemona on Wednesday night (20:30) in the semifinals of the Toto Cup at the Acre Stadium and spoke about the challenge ahead:
“We had a good training session, we are ready and we want to advance to the final. Every competition that we play in is important and every win gives us confidence. There are players that need playing time and that are coming back from injury, so this is an important game for us.”
Playing more of an offensive position:
“I am enjoying playing more of an attacking roll, more forward and looking for the goal. Sometimes it works and sometimes not, but it feels good and I have already scored 6 goals and I hope that I can score more and also assist on some as well. Every 90 minutes that I play in a position that I like gives me even more confidence, but most importantly is that I am helping the Club.”
Attempts from long distance:
“I stayed after training to work on my shot from outside of the box and from long distance. I feel comfortable doing it and when I see that I can, I will take a long attempt. Sometimes it doesn’t go as well, but every time I’m playing and scoring it will continue to give me confidence and will also be even easier for the ball to go towards the target.”
Win=confidence:
“It’s a fact that wins give teams confidence. We didn’t pick up a victory in our last two matches, in the Europa League and the Israel Premier League, so we want to make sure we win our next game. Any time you take 3 points or advance to the next stage of a competition it gives the players confidence.”
About Kiryat Shemona:
“Kiryat Shemona is a strong team and didn’t get to this stage otherwise. They have played well and they always give us a hard time. It will be a tough match.”
